The Cleveland Cavaliers are having a busy free agency period. They already signed Donovan Mitchell to a $150 million contract extension to keep him in town for the foreseeable future. Next up is finding a way to lock up Evan Mobley for the future.
As it turns out, the Cavs are close to getting a deal done with Mobley, with reports stating that it could come in the near future, as ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported during an episode of 5 Good Minutes With Windy.
“I would expect the contract to be done somewhat soon,” Windhorst said. “I think the Cavs are willing to give him the max, and quite frankly, they don’t have a leg to stand on now that the guys around him in their draft class with comparable statistics and comparable futures have gotten the max.”
However, Windhorst admits there is no update on the situation involving Darius Garland, but as of now, the Cavs point guard has not requested a trade.
Evan Mobley’s successful run with the Cavs
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Mobley has been a huge part of the Cavs roster since being selected third overall out of USC in the 2021 NBA Draft, so keeping him in Cleveland has to be a priority for the front office. And, as Windhorst states, the expectation is that it will be done somewhat soon.
In his rookie year, Mobley averaged 15 PPG with 8.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks. In 2023-2024, he averaged 15.7 PPG with 9.4 rebounds and had 16 PPG in the playoff run, including a 33-point outburst in the Cavs’ final playoff game against the Boston Celtics. However, Mobley had a series of injuries that resulted in him playing just 50n regular seasons games this past season, so the hope is he can get healthy and be ready for the long season.
So, there is no shortage of NBA teams that would give Evan Mobley max money, which puts pressure on the Cavs to get a deal done before his current deal runs out. Mobley’s accolades in his brief NBA career include All-Rookie First-Team and being named All-Defensive First-Team in 2023.
The Cavs hired Kenny Atkinson as the head coach, replacing JB Bickerstaff who became the new coach for the Detroit Pistons. And, Mobley made a big impact on Atkinson, per a report from Chris Fedor.
“Sources say Mobley, one of the franchise pillars, was a primary talking point during Atkinson’s many interviews with Cleveland’s brain trust — either over the phone, via Zoom or in person. Atkinson laid out a detailed plan for Mobley’s development and offensive usage, some of which Atkinson revealed Monday afternoon, saying that Mobley could perhaps one day become a top 5 player.”
The Cavs made the Eastern Conference semifinals before losing to the Boston Celtics in five games, and Evan Mobley’s role on this team is a big one. After they extended Donovan Mitchell, the next man up for a new contract should be Evan Mobley, and the fact that a deal should be done soon is good news for the Cavs.