MIAMI (AP) — Davion Mitchell is coming back to the Miami Heat on a two-year contract worth $24 million, a person familiar with the negotiations said Saturday.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Saturday because the deal has not yet been signed and announced.
Mitchell — who the Heat consider to be one of the best on-ball defenders in the league — was traded to Miami in February as part of the deal that sent Jimmy Butler to Golden State. Mitchell appeared in 30 regular-season games with the Heat, started 15 of them and averaged 10.7 points in those contests.
He averaged 15 points in Miami’s four playoff games this past season and indicated to the team that he was willing to return. He could have been a restricted free agent this summer.
“Being here, I kind of just fit right in,” Mitchell said when the Heat season ended. “They needed someone who can be a defensive presence, who can get their teammates open, make my teammates lives a lot easier, and I think that’s what I did.”
The Heat are his third team, after stints in Sacramento and Toronto. The No. 9 pick in the 2021 draft by the Kings has averaged 7.6 points and 3.3 assists in 301 regular-season games over parts of four seasons.