The Cleveland Cavaliers have done a great job of locking in their core and are continuing to do just that this offseason. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski is reporting that the team has agreed to a five-year, $224 million maximum rookie contract that can go up to $269 million with forward/center Evan Mobley. Mobley was the third pick in the 2021 NBA draft and has done pretty well throughout his three seasons in the NBA as he has averaged 15.6 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.5 blocks per game in 33.2 minutes while shooting 54.4% from the floor.
This Cleveland Cavaliers team has done a good job throughout the last few years but this deal signifies the direction of the franchise. Let’s take a deeper look at what Evan Mobley’s rookie extension means going forward for the team.
What does this mean for the Cleveland Cavaliers going forward?
The Cleveland Cavaliers have been one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference as they were able to finish fourth in the Eastern Conference with a 48-34 record and made the second round of the 2024 Eastern Conference Playoffs. The team has bought into the core of point guard Donovan Mitchell, shooting guard Darius Garland and center Jarrett Allen. Now, they have added Evan Mobley to their core for the next few seasons.
The team also hired coach Kenny Atkinson to lead the way and now have this team locked up for at least the next two years before Allen’s contract expires. With the Philadelphia 76ers, New York Knicks and Boston Celtics looking like significant threats for the Eastern Conference Finals, this Cavs team is going to need to step up and gel together to step up. Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen doing well down low will really help the team dominate on the glass and lock down defensively.
Kenny Atkinson helped take the Brooklyn Nets from a building roster to the point where the team was able to get Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving to sign as free agents. He has shown the ability to do well as a coach and this Cavaliers team needed a new voice to lead the way. They have one of the most talented, young teams in the NBA and the front office just officially announced they are going to buy into the future of this team as the oldest significant player is Caris LeVert at just 29 years old.
Expect a lot out of the Cleveland Cavaliers this season, they need to live up to the hype now.
