The Cleveland Cavaliers have enjoyed three years of Evan Mobley since drafting him in 2021, and they’ve evidently seen enough to be willing to offer him a max extension, based on recent comments from ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.
Windhorst expects the Cavs to come to a contract agreement with Mobley, and he expects it to be a max deal.
Mobley is extension eligible this offseason, and some other players from his draft class have already inked max extensions in recent weeks.
Mobley is currently scheduled to hit restricted free agency in the 2025 offseason. An agreement on a contract extension would obviously change that, and it appears that all signs are pointing in the right direction.
While the former No. 3 overall pick hasn’t developed as rapidly as many were hoping he would after his stellar rookie season, he remains an essential piece for the Cavs. He’s one of the top defenders in the NBA and is still young enough for there to be hope about his potential on offense.
Cleveland might have hired new head coach Kenny Atkinson in part because there’s optimism about the impact he’ll have on Mobley’s development. The 23-year-old certainly has the tools to become an All-Star caliber player in the NBA at minimum, and if the Cavs do sign him to a max extension, they’ll presumably be looking for him to reach those heights.
This past season, Mobley averaged 15.7 points, 9.4 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game while shooting 58.0 percent from the field and 37.3 percent from deep. While his scoring average took a slight dip compared to the 16.2 points per game he averaged the season prior, he did catch the attention of some fans by posting a career-best shooting percentage on 3s.
