Evan Mobley agrees to five-year contract extension

Mobley will be under contract through the 2029-30 season.

The Cleveland Cavaliers checked off another important box from their summer to-do list by working out a contract extension with Evan Mobley. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the contract extension is for five years worth $224 million. The contract could be worth up to $269 million if bonuses are met. This extension will go into effect during the 2025-26 season. Mobley is now under contract with the Cavs until the 2029-30 season.

Signing a promising young player like Mobley to an extension like this is the price of doing business. Scottie Barnes and Cade Cunningham, who were in Mobley’s draft class, agreed to similar deals earlier this summer. Inking Mobley to a deal like this was a no brainer for Cleveland.

Mobley has shown he’s worthy of an extension like this. He was a Defensive Player of the Year finalist in 2022-23 and runner-up to Rookie of the Year the previous season. Mobley hasn’t shown the offensive growth some were expecting to see from him over the past two seasons. Still, the glimpses he showed in the playoffs against the Boston Celtics where he averaged 21.4 points, 9.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and a block with an effective field goal percentage of 64% proved that he could be an exceptional offensive player if put in a position to succeed.

New head coach Kenny Atkinson’s number one job this season will be figuring out how to get the most out of Mobley. He was hired in part because of his experience in player development even though this team is looking to win now. Mobley is the guy this team hopes has the most room to grow.

The Cavs currently have their core four of Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Mobley, and Jarrett Allen under contract through the 2025-26 season. Allen’s contract expires at the end of that campaign.

The front office needs to figure out how to best accent their core. There’s reasons to believe that this group, with its current supporting cast, isn’t enough to keep up with an improving conference. The Cavs haven’t made any additions to their group outside of drafting Jaylon Tyson this off-season. Despite those concerns, having their core under contract for the next few seasons is a good starting point.

This is a good day for the Cavs. They only jumped into the lottery once during their rebuild after the second LeBron era and hit on that pick by selecting Mobley. Locking him up for the foreseeable future is a massive win.