Cleveland, OH
Windhorst: Donovan Mitchell to Get $200M Cavs Contract Offer After Bickerstaff Firing
David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images
The Cleveland Cavaliers are reportedly expected to offer All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell a significant contract extension when they meet in three weeks.
Speaking on the Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective podcast, ESPN NBA insider Brian Windhorst broke down what will be on the agenda when Mitchell and the Cavs meet, including a likely $200 million contract offer:
“I will say this. In three weeks, the Cavs are going to meet with Donovan Mitchell. In that meeting there’s probably going to be three things that are on the agenda. One, they’re going to offer him a $200 million extension. Very kindly, with a lot of smiles and hope. Two, you’d like to think that the new head coach would be hired by that time and would have for him an idea of how he wants to play. How it would affect him and how it would affect the other players.
“And three, a concept of what they’re going to do for the roster this offseason. Big focus on that will be Darius Garland. While Darius Garland has not asked for a trade, the Darius Garland-Donovan Mitchell tandem—while I don’t think there’s any personal issues there, I don’t think that there’s any personal animus…maybe the new head coach will have an idea. Like, ‘Look, this is how we’re going to play.’”
After going 48-34 and reaching the second round of the playoffs this season, the Cavaliers fired head coach J.B. Bickerstaff this week. Given Mitchell’s status as the Cavs’ best player, the organization’s choice for its next head coach could have a significant impact on his decision of whether to re-sign.
Windhorst reported that while Mitchell did not ask for Bickerstaff to be fired, the Cavaliers “believe their chances of re-signing Donovan Mitchell are increased” thanks to the coaching change.
Cleveland acquired Mitchell from the Utah Jazz in a blockbuster trade prior to the 2022-23 season, sending Lauri Markkanen, Collin Sexton, Ochai Agbaji, three first-round picks and two pick swaps to Utah.
Mitchell was already a three-time All-Star when he arrived, and he has continued his excellent play with the Cavs.
Last season, Mitchell averaged a career-high 28.3 points to go along with 4.4 assists, 4.3 rebounds, 3.6 three-pointers made and 1.5 steals per game en route to finishing sixth in the NBA MVP voting.
This season, Spida averaged 26.6 points, 3.3 three-pointers made and a career-high 6.1 assists, 5.1 rebounds and 1.8 steals per contest, and he was named an All-Star for the fifth consecutive season.
Also, Mitchell led the Cavaliers to their first playoff series win of any kind since 2018 and their first playoff series win without LeBron James on the roster since 1993.
While Mitchell has seemingly been a good fit in Cleveland, the Cavaliers traded for him knowing there was a possibility they could lose him after the 2024-25 season.
Mitchell has just one year remaining on his contract, and if he declines to sign an extension, the Cavaliers will face the tough decision of whether to enter the 2024-25 season with him on an expiring contract or to attempt to trade him.
With a core of Mitchell, Garland, Jarrett Allen, Evan Mobley, Caris LeVert and Max Strus, the Cavs have a chance to be a top team in the Eastern Conference for many years to come, but that will depend heavily on Mitchell’s willingness to make a long-term commitment.
Cleveland, OH
’27 DE Munir Lewis Commits to Louisville
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Make that a trio of commitment in the Class of 2027 this week for the Louisville football program.
Cleveland (Oh.) Brush defensive end Munir Lewis announced Wednesday that he has committed to the Cardinals. He’s the third commit in the last four days for UofL, Bradenton (Fla.) Cardinal Mooney defensive lineman Kaleb Exume committing on Sunday and Tampa (Fla.) Carrollwood Day two-way athlete Brooklyn Maxey doing so on Monday.
Lewis chose Louisville out of a top seven that also consisted of Ohio State, Michigan State, Illinois, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech and Purdue. He also held offers from Cincinnati, Minnesota, Wisconsin plus several others, and made multiple visits to UofL’s campus – including this past Friday for the spring game. He’s set to return for an official visit this May.
The 6-foot-5, 245-pound defensive end is regarded as the 23rd-ranked prospect in the state of Ohio, the No. 50 edge rusher in the Class of 2027, and the No. 592 recruit in the nation, per the 247Sports Composite.
Lewis was an explosive force for Brush as a junior this past season. He collected 55 total tackles, 13.5 for loss, nine sacks, four pass breakup, a forced fumbles and over 20 quarterback pressures. He helped Brush finish the 2025 season with a 6-4 record.
Lewis is the 12th commitment in Louisville’s 2027 recruiting class, which is on pace to be the best in school history. he joins a class that not only ranks as the best class in the ACC, but the No. 8 class in the nation, per the 247Sports Composite. Four of their commitments are regarded as four-star prospects by the composite.
He’s also the latest in a budding pipeline to the state of Ohio, which has been championed by Executive Director of Football Personnel and Recruiting Vince Marrow. Five of Louisville’s 12 commitments in the 2027 cycle are from the Buckeye State, with three hailing from the Cincinnati area and the other two coming from Cleveland.
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Cleveland, OH
American Cornhole League Cleveland Signature Open | April 24, 2026 | Greater Cleveland Sports Commission
American Cornhole League is bringing the heat to the boards in Cleveland with $150,000 on the line. Join us on April 24-26, 2026, for elite competition where amateurs and pros collide. Whether you’re a backyard ringer or a seasoned veteran, this is your chance to…
Cleveland, OH
Houston Astros at Cleveland Guardians prediction, pick for Tuesday 4/21/26
Garion Thorne gives you a preview, prediction and pick for tonight’s game between the Houston Astros and the Cleveland Guardians.
Few teams needed a win last night more than the Astros.
Houston came into Monday’s action having lost 12 of its past 14 games, while also having lost nearly as many pitchers — at least it feels that way. Just take a quick glance at this club’s IL. Hunter Brown (shoulder), Tatsuya Imai (fatigue), Cristian Javier (shoulder). Those aren’t losses that are easy to survive, and the Astros have understandably been struggling. However, after a dominating 9-2 victory, Houston can at least take a small breath.
Can the Astros make it two in a row this evening? Or will the Guardians bounce back? Let’s preview this AL clash and make a couple picks on the DraftKings Sportsbook.
Astros vs. Guardians prediction, preview
So, remember that list of injured Astros pitchers I just recited? The consequence of the length of that list, is that you have to start people like Ryan Weiss. That’s not to suggest that Weiss is completely without promise — he was a stud in the KBO in 2024 and 2025 — it’s just that the right-hander’s MLB career has gotten off to a slightly rocky start, and it’s clear that Houston currently prefers the 29-year-old as a reliever. In 14.2 innings of work, Weiss has racked up 18 strikeouts, but he’s also surrendered four home runs, 11 earned runs, and a sixth percentile opponent hard hit rate (54.5%). Weiss isn’t quite built up to be a starter, either. Well, at least not fully, as he threw a season-high 76 pitches in his last outing. That means we’re probably going to have to see a lot of the Astros’ bullpen on Tuesday, which is not a good thing. Houston’s RPs rank 29th in ERA (5.66) and they’ve served up a league-high 1.89 opponent home runs per nine. Yikes.
On the other side of this pitching matchup, we find another starter with little major league experience. That said, Parker Messick already looks like another developmental success story of the Guardians’ pitcher factory. The former second-round pick debuted in 2025, maintaining a 2.72 ERA and a 2.98 FIP across seven starts. If possible, Messick’s looked even better so far in 2026, allowing a mere three earned runs over 25.2 innings. Now, a .200 BABIP isn’t going to sustain. Neither is a 91.4% strand rate. However, when you’re limiting opponents to a 3.3% barrel rate and a 29.5% hard hit rate, you might just get a little “lucky” from time to time. It’s not like the southpaw has been skating by on a soft schedule, either. Messick has faced the Dodgers, the Braves, the Cubs and the Orioles. There isn’t a single cakewalk in there.
That pattern of difficult matchups will continue on Tuesday, as well. For as underwhelming as the Astros’ record is, it’s mostly a byproduct of poor pitching. The offense has actually been one of the best in all of baseball. Houston actually leads all American League teams in wOBA (.350) and wRC+ (124), with Yordan Alvarez leading the charge. He’s been fantastic in left-on-left scenarios, too. In his 36 plate appearances within the split, Alvarez is slashing .448/.528/1.034 with a 315 wRC+. I don’t want to discount Jose Ramirez, who has six homers and 10 stolen bases for the Guardians, yet a healthy Alvarez is easily the best bat in this series. He’s that good.
Astros vs. Guardians pick, best bet
Best Bet: Jose Ramirez 2+ Total Bases (+107)
Weiss has a 6.27 FIP. The Astros’ bullpen has given up the most opponent home runs per nine (1.89). Ramirez probably won’t be in a single bad matchup this evening, and that’s before you factor in that the All-Star is a switch-hitter.
Strong Lean: Ryan Weiss 4+ Strikeouts (+123)
While Weiss’ surface numbers aren’t great, he has managed four strikeouts in two of his three outings where he’s thrown 60+ pitches. He’s struck out 18 in 14.2 innings and I expect he’ll flirt with the 90-pitch plateau on Tuesday.
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