Donovan Mitchell was already in store for an emotional week.
The Cleveland Cavaliers guard was selected to the NBA All-Star Game for the seventh straight season and will watch his fiancée, Coco Jones, sing “Lift Every Voice and Sing” before Super Bowl 60 on Sunday.
Things took an unexpected turn on Wednesday when the Cavaliers traded Darius Garland to the Los Angeles Clippers for James Harden.
“It’s been a lot. There’s just so much going on,” Mitchell said after Cleveland’s 124-91 victory over the Clippers on Wednesday night.
The Cavaliers are on their longest road trip of the season and face the Sacramento Kings on Saturday night. Mitchell will then travel three hours to Santa Clara, California, to watch Jones perform before rejoining the Cavaliers in Denver for Monday’s game against the Nuggets.
Mitchell and the Grammy-winning singer announced their engagement last July after two years of dating. When the Cavaliers were eliminated in five games by the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference semifinals last year, Mitchell said he was taking time off and “going on tour with good music.”
Jones was on tour last summer after releasing her debut studio album.
“I’m excited for her. It’s just great to see the success she’s having in her own right. She deserves this,” Mitchell said last week before the Cavaliers started their six-game road trip. “It’s something that is new for me to kind of just watch it. As much as I am her fiancée, I’m a fan of her work and her work ethic. And to see it on the biggest stage, it’s special.”
Mitchell, in his ninth season, is sixth in the NBA in scoring and averaging a career-high 28.8 points. He also leads the NBA with 178 made 3-pointers.
The Harden trade moves Mitchell back to full-time shooting guard. Garland was sidelined for stretches this season with big toe injuries, and Mitchell took on some point guard duties.
Harden, expected to make his Cavaliers debut Saturday night, is averaging 25.4 points per game and is on track for his best season since 2019-20.
“I think our ceiling is definitely higher when you have a guy like James Harden. You know what he brings, but with that, there’s definitely a higher expectation,” Mitchell said Wednesday night. “It’s not gonna always be pretty. You make a move at the deadline, there’s gonna be bumps in the road, but for us this is the time.”
Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman also admitted there will be a little bit of an acclimation period for his new backcourt to get up to speed.
“We’re going to have to adapt to James. He’s that good a player, but I think we’re going to still run,” he said. “We need to get the ball in Donovan’s hands, and we need to get the ball in James’ hands so that we’re going to have a great possession. And in the playoffs, I do still think it comes down to largely a half-court game, and so we really are thinking about that.”
Jones said during a press conference on Thursday that taking part in the Super Bowl is “pretty much the top of the top.” Her father, Mike Jones, was on the Tennessee Titans squad that played in Super Bowl 34.
“I just think that this is one of the most highly-viewed events of all time, and so it’s hard to compete. Maybe my wedding will be up there,” she said.
However, Mitchell hopes this will not be Jones’ only Super Bowl appearance.
“She’s going to perform at the Super Bowl at halftime. That’s the next goal. She’s going to keep doing her thing, but it’s a blessing to be able to somehow find a way to be a couple of hours away the night before. So it’s going to be special.”
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