Donovan Mitchell may have taken a hint from what just happened to Jaylen Brown

Donovan Mitchell left roughly $80 million on the table. Next offseason, he would have become eligible to sign a five-year, $383 million contract extension. Instead, he committed to a four-year, $273 million max extension on the first day he could do so this summer. His deal includes a player option for the 2030-31 season.

That's a multi-year commitment to the Cleveland Cavaliers that may be unrivaled. LeBron James' hometown roots and the ability to vie for championships once brought him back to the wine and gold. However, taking it year by year allowed him to keep pressure on the organization to do everything it could to maximize that window. Mitchell is going a different route.

That decision may have been influenced by seeing how Jaylen Brown's departure from the Boston Celtics unfolded.

Donovan Mitchell may have taken a hint from Jaylen Brown's Celtics path

The seven-time All-Star is happy in Cleveland. He was well within his rights to wait a year to sign for close to $100 million more. However, today's NBA economics would have threatened both his stability and peace of mind.

As Spencer German of 92.3 The Fan noted to Yossi Gozlan in a recent appearance on the latter's Third Apron Podcast, the league's punitive collective bargaining agreement [CBA] could have signaled to the Cavaliers that they couldn't keep that contract on their books for long.

"You're reaching that threshold, in terms of that amount he was going to make, especially later in his career, where it's like, 'Is he worth this value?' And those are the conversations other teams are having," said German.

Citing what has transpired with the Celtics the last two years, as they had to scale down after consecutive campaigns over the second apron, German voiced, "I wonder if Donovan kind of saw how things played out with Jaylen Brown and felt like maybe he was smarter just to sign the contract now."

Will Donovan Mitchell avoid Jaylen Brown's Celtics fate?

It doesn't seem like it's trending towards that happening. Under this CBA, it's harder for players to live out their contract with one team.

Boston had many reasons for making the trade that sent Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers. One was the belief that the best path back to the NBA mountaintop did not include him and Jayson Tatum taking up 70 percent of their cap space.

Mitchell will account for at least 35 percent of Cleveland's cap in each year of his extension. While James Harden's new deal includes a $34.7 million player option for 2028-29, his age-39 season, it's fair to look at the Cavaliers as having a two-year window.

Mitchell will enter his 30s in September. It's hard to believe that this backcourt duo can lead them to a title. The top of the East got even more competitive this summer. They could return to the conference finals, but it will be a lot harder to duplicate that feat. Harden's an underrated defender. However, it's still a tandem that doesn't bring enough balance to instill confidence in their ability to deliver the Larry O'Brien Trophy to Cleveland.

Peyton Watson is a fine player. But he's probably not the caliber of defender or shooter necessary to propel the Cavaliers a round further than they went last season. Acquiring someone who fits that description may not be realistic unless they part with Jarrett Allen. That could lead to a costly deficiency at center, though.

It's a competitive but flawed construction that could come unglued in two years. If it does, will they stick it out with Mitchell? As an undersized guard on a lucrative contract, his value to them and on the trade market will continue to decrease. So, while signing for less could enable him to avoid the same fate as Brown, he'd still be defying the odds.

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