A source with knowledge of the talks, who talked with The AP on Saturday night, claims that forward Evan Mobley of the Cleveland Cavaliers has reached an agreement to extend his contract with the team for an additional $224 million over five years.
After being chosen with the third overall choice in the 2021 NBA Draft, Mobley has emerged as one of the league’s most promising young players.
With incentives, the 23-year-old’s new contract might be worth up to $269 million, according to a source who asked to remain anonymous because the details are still being worked out.
Joe Smith and Thad Foucher, Mobley’s agents, notified ESPN of the agreement at first. The two parties have been engaged in negotiations for a number of weeks.
The Cavaliers have had a number of successful developments this summer, including the appointment of Kenny Atkinson as head coach and the three-year, $150.3 million contract deal that All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell signed.
The Cleveland club, which has won 99 games in the last two seasons, is led by Mitchell and Mobley. This year, they made it to the second round of the playoffs, but the Boston Celtics, the ultimate champions, took them out in five games.
Mobley averaged 15.6 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in his first three NBA seasons. The former USC standout, who is renowned for his excellent defense, could develop his offensive abilities under the Cavaliers’ coaching staff.
Coach Atkinson stressed in his first press conference the need to improve Mobley’s offensive potential.
Atkinson said, “We can strategically involve him more in our offensive schemes.”
Due to knee surgery in December, which kept him from playing in more than 50 games, Mobley had difficulties during the regular season. Despite Mitchell and center Jarrett Allen’s ailments, he showed off his scoring prowess in the playoffs, averaging 21.4 points per game against the Celtics.
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