Evan Mobley and Cleveland Cavaliers agree to max rookie extension

The Cleveland Cavaliers have viewed Evan Mobley as a franchise cornerstone since 2021.

On Saturday, they reinforced their belief in Mobley with a blockbuster financial commitment.

Mobley and the Cavs have reached an agreement on a five-year, $224 million maximum rookie contract extension, which could become worth as much as $269 million, a person with knowledge of the deal told the Akron Beacon Journal, confirming an ESPN report. Before striking the deal, Mobley had been under contract through the 2024-25 season.

From the Cavs' perspective, their most recent investment in Mobley isn't as much about what he has done in his three seasons with the organization as it is about what team brass projects he will do for Cleveland in the future.

The third overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft, Mobley has averaged 15.6 points on 54.4% shooting from the field, 8.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.5 blocked shots in 198 career regular-season games. During the playoffs, the University of Southern California product has averaged 14.2 points on 53.1% shooting from the floor, 9.5 rebounds. 2.2 assists and 1.9 blocks in 12 games.

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How good can Evan Mobley be for the Cavaliers?

New Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson said he considers Mobley a future All-Star and a key to the team becoming a legitimate championship contender.

“Evan's a big piece of that,” Atkinson said July 1 during his introductory news conference. “I'm going to feel a huge responsibility to help him get to that top 15, top 20 (players in the NBA). Who knows — top five? Why not with the skill level and the athleticism and the human being? I don't see why we can't.”

The Cavs secured another pillar of their organization when they signed five-time All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell in early July to a three-year, $150.3 million extension, which includes a player option for the 2027-28 season.

A 7-foot, full-time power forward and part-time center, Mobley is already an elite defensive player. He was selected to the league's All-Defensive Team and finished third in NBA Defensive Player of the Year voting after his second NBA season. He was limited to 50 games this past regular season because of knee and ankle injuries, disqualifying him from such awards in 2023-24.

Mobley reaching his potential on offense remains a work in progress, though he has shown improvement in some areas. For instance, Mobley shot 25% and 21.6% on 3-pointers in his first two regular seasons, respectively, followed by a 37.3% mark in 2023-24.

What is new Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson's plan for Evan Mobley?

Guiding Mobley, 23, to another level was a key topic when Atkinson interviewed with the Cavs this offseason to succeed coach J.B. Bickerstaff after Cleveland fired him.

“He's (young), so he's just naturally going to grow,” Atkinson said of Mobley. “That's exciting just with the talent, but I do think we can schematically get the ball in his hands more, quite honestly. It's going to be in multiple ways. I think when you have a guy that versatile, it could be him in transition bringing the ball up, it could be him handling in a five-out situation or him handling in pick-and-roll.

“There's creative things we can do to help him. I know I've spoken with him, and he's excited about it, but there's definitely just his general usage I think can go up, and we have to figure out the best positions to put him in. I can't wait to get on that task. I know that's a big, big part of us taking that next step.”

Would Cavaliers be wise to move Evan Mobley to center?

The Cavs defeated the Orlando Magic 4-3 in the first round of the 2024 playoffs but fell 4-1 to the eventual NBA champion Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

With Jarrett Allen sidelined for the final eight games of the postseason with a fractured rib, Mobley played center instead of power forward. Cavs leadership has been adamant this offseason Mobley and Allen work well as a tandem, and they form a pairing the team does not want to break up.

Mobley had a dominant individual outing with a game-high 33 points on 62.5% shooting from the field, seven rebounds, four assists and two blocks when the Cavs were eliminated by the Celtics on May 15.

“To see him elevate in Game 5 of Boston on the road and be the best player on the floor that night leads me to believe we have so much more to grow with him,” Cavs president of basketball operations Koby Altman said May 24 during a season wrap-up news conference.

“Did we get away from unlocking his potential fully?” Altman added. “A little bit this year, and I think that needs to be a focal point into the summer of how we can unlock him only because it's going to make our team even better and give us a chance to elevate to a higher level. It's going to unlock not just him but this organization.”

The Cavs are obviously comfortable betting they will unlock all of Mobley's talent.

Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.

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