Cavs Commit To Evan Mobley With Lucrative Max Extension

The Cleveland Cavaliers have been hard at work securing their roster. After their first NBA playoff series victory this century without LeBron James, the team has to be in high spirits. Furthermore, rumors of a Donovan Mitchell departure have been put to rest thanks to a three-year, $150.3 million extension.

The team has a ways to go to emerge as a true contender, but in back-to-back years, they have been the 3rd seed in the East. In Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell, they have two elite creators. Additionally, with a strong frontcourt to boot, their defense remains top-notch. The only question mark for the Cavs is the Small Forward position, a common theme in this era for Cleveland.

While Max Strus was a serviceable placeholder, an upgrade on the wings might push the Cavs up a notch. Simultaneously, there is one more youngster in Evan Mobley from whom the team is expecting big things. That deciding factor in their ascension is now officially coming back.

Evan Mobley signs max extension with Cavaliers

Evan Mobley has been an absolute stud for the Cleveland Cavaliers since joining the team in 2021. A near double-double for his career, Mobley has been an offense-bending defender. In three seasons, he has taken the Cavs from a middle-of-the-pack defensive team to a virtual top-10 lock. One of 4 players with at least 300 blocks and 150 steals, Mobley’s impact on that side of the ball cannot be understated.

In the 2023 season, he was an All-Defensive team member while also finishing third in the Defensive Player of the Race. However, Cleveland’s betting game when it comes to Evan is on the offensive end. With a 7-foot frame and rangy arms, it is easy to imagine his growth into a dominant interior scorer. Over three seasons, his growth hasn’t been as fast as fans were hoping, but the improvement is clearly noticeable.

Under a new head coach in Kenny Atkinson, there will be room for optimism for Mobley to take that next step in his career. As a result, for a perennial All-Defensive caliber player, Cleveland was more than happy to negotiate an extension worth five years and $224 million. With a load of incentives also present on the contract, the final number could go as high as $269 million, given his performance over the duration of the deal.

Mobley’s burgeoning offensive upside

Last season, he finished the year with averages of 15.7 points and 9.4 rebounds, while adding 1.4 blocks on the other side. The real jump for Mobley came on the efficiency side, where he finished with career-best numbers of 58% from the field, 37.3% from distance, and 72% at the charity stripe. But, the real case for optimism from fans and the front office alike came in the playoffs.

During the series against the Orlando Magic, Mobley came alive defensively. With 21 blocks for the series, most in Cleveland Cavaliers history, he was phenomenal over the last two games. En route to becoming the first Cleveland player to do so, Mobley had consecutive five-block games, culminating with an 11-point, 16-rebound, 5-block game in Game 7. Somehow, he was even better against the Boston Celtics.

While the Cavs lost in 5 to the C’s, it was through no fault of Mobley. The third-year star had averages of 21.4 points on 62.7% shooting, becoming the third Cavalier ever to meet those marks in a playoff series. He ended the series in 5 with arguably the best game of his young career, finishing with 33 points and 7 rebounds, while adding 2 blocks in 43 minutes of playing time.

With a string of quality postseason performances, Cleveland has to hope Mobley can take that momentum with him into next season. Thanks to a new contract, their investment in the youngster is rock-solid. Now, it remains to be seen just how high they can climb with this core.

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