Mitchell claims to have learned how to play off the ball! Both he and Harden are willing to make sacrifices for the championship, and the head coach is not worried about their compatibility.

On February 7th Beijing time, according to The Athletic reporter Tony Jones and Cleveland.com reporter Chris Fedor, the night before the Clippers and Cavaliers finalized their trade, Harden and Mitchell had a lengthy conversation. This talk convinced both star guards that they wanted to be teammates and shared optimism about the Cavaliers' championship potential.

“We both understand there will be a period of adjustment ahead,” Mitchell said, “but we are excited about it. I look forward to seeing how he can elevate my game and, more importantly, the energy he will bring to the whole team. Our goals are aligned; we both want to lift the championship trophy. Ultimately, we are moving toward the same objective and must give our all to pursue the highest level of victory.”

Mitchell further admitted that he needs to “learn to adapt to playing off the ball.”However, he also noted that he has had similar experiences before and is confident he can do it again. The six-time All-Star emphasized,both he and Harden are willing to make necessary sacrifices to maximize the Cavaliers' championship chances.

“Our ceiling has risen,” Mitchell told Fedor in an interview. “Everyone knows what he can bring. At the same time, expectations for us have also increased. We haven’t achieved our dreams over the past three years, and now is the perfect moment to chase the championship. We have to go all in.”

According to Fedor, when asked about how to manage the new backcourt pairing of Harden and Mitchell,head coach Kenny Atkinson said he is not concerned about their fit.

“Top-tier players always find a way to coexist,” Atkinson said. “There are very few cases where such strong partnerships fail to mesh. So moving forward, our coaching staff, along with Donovan and LeBron, will work together to determine lineup usage, rotation patterns, staggered minutes for both players, the tactics when each leads the team, and strategies when they play together. These are the challenges we need to address.”

“But I must emphasize again, when you have such incredibly talented and high basketball IQ players, coaching becomes much easier. In my view, the best approach with stars of this caliber is to give them the freedom to showcase their skills.”

According to earlier reports, Atkinson also contacted D’Antoni, hoping to help Harden regain his dominance from his Rockets days. Harden is expected to make his Cavaliers debut in the game against the Kings on Sunday Beijing time.