Free agency might be dormant, but extension season is burning.Because of the NBA’s current governing rules, players are far less likely to wait until their contracts expire to sign new ones. Teams these days are often without cap space. Ones that have room usually prefer to fill it via trades, with large, unwanted contracts that come with sweeteners, such as juicy draft picks or enticing young players. Entering free agency and inking a plush deal with a different franchise is not so easy.A player’s best chance to get paid is often by his own team. So, why not get a deal done early?Young up-and-comers extending between their third and fourth seasons (known as rookie-scale extensions) have always been common. But veteran extensions, ones for older players, have become far more prevalent in recent seasons.So, let’s discuss the five most interesting players eligible for veteran extensions this summer.What a reunion with Kawhi means for the RaptorsEric Koreen and Jeshua KiddThe list will not include Giannis Antetokounmpo or Kawhi Leonard. Both can (or will) receive deals from their new teams, but those contracts are inevitable. There is no suspense and thus no intrigue.Three-time MVP Nikola Jokić is eligible for an extension this offseason. The Denver Nuggets will plead their case for him to sign it. The Athletic’s Sam Amick reported this week that Jokić is “signaling a desire to remain” with the only franchise for which he’s played. But the circumstances surrounding him aren’t so dramatic. Jokić will either take the extension or he won’t. There is no negotiation to be done, no fallout to be had. He won’t be on the list.Other big names can receive extensions this summer but still have multiple seasons remaining on their contracts, which removes urgency from their situations. Those players include the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards (who has three years left on his current deal), the Los Angeles Clippers’ Darius Garland (two) and four of the Indiana Pacers’ starters — Tyrese Haliburton, Pascal Siakam, Ivica Zubac and Andrew Nembhard, who all have two years until free agency.None of them makes the list.But five others do. Here are the most interesting extension-eligible veterans this summer:Donovan MitchellThe Cleveland Cavaliers have issues to address, ones about a roster that got swept out of the Eastern Conference finals and ones about long-term payroll. Both begin with a decision from Mitchell, the leader of their squad.Mitchell can turn down a $53.8 million player option and become a free agent after this season. Or, if he chooses, he can take the money now, commit to Cleveland and keep this group together. A max extension would kick in for 2027-28 and pay him a projected $272 million over four years.The Cavaliers would love to keep him. They flipped Garland for James Harden midseason to get healthier in the short term while also smoothing over some of their financial issues. Harden just declined his player option and could re-sign on a two-year deal that earns him more guaranteed money and a lower salary in 2026-27. But the Cavs need Mitchell, who has only praised the organization, to return to the fray, too.If he were to turn down the extension, Cleveland would be in a bind.It couldn’t risk losing Mitchell for nothing next summer. A few months ago, I reported, via league sources, that if Mitchell were to turn down the extension, then the Cavaliers would discuss the possibility of trading him, as any intelligent team would. But it’s also possible circumstances have changed since then.There is a new variable here. Its name is LeBron James.James will not re-sign with the Los Angeles Lakers, he announced this week. The Cavaliers are contenders to bring him back once again. He may be 41, but add him to a team with Mitchell, Harden, Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, and you give yourself a chance to win the conference. And surely, James isn’t choosing Cleveland if it even hints at moving on from its mid-prime, perennial All-Star.So Mitchell could extend. And if he chooses not to, the Cavaliers have justification to handle the situation differently now. The two sides could play out the season together anyway. But whether the effects of the decision ripple this summer or next, Mitchell’s future will affect the East’s balance of power.Anthony DavisYes, Davis also plays in the East, but his desire to re-up with the Washington Wizards won’t affect the winner of the conference. His tale involves the other side of the country and the same character: James.