Evan Mobley contract details, grade: Cavs go all-out with second major offseason extension

The Cleveland Cavaliers entered the 2023-24 offseason with one major goal -- they wanted to extend Donovan Mitchell, their best player, who had just one more guaranteed year on his deal. They did so, getting the star guard to ink a three-year extension.

This was a huge deal for the Cavs as Mitchell's future in Cleveland was seen to be murky at best following another fairly early postseason exit. His extension means that the Cavaliers will at the very least be a solidified playoff team for the next couple of seasons, and if the surrounding pieces can elevate their games, who knows? Their ceiling might be higher than we might think.

It turns out that the Cavs weren't done after the Mitchell deal, as ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Cavs agreed to terms with Evan Mobley on a five-year extension.

Evan Mobley contract details, grade: Cavs get second major offseason extension done

As Wojnarowski reported, the terms of the deal are quite substantial. Mobley agreed to a five-year max contract worth $224 million. If he reaches certain incentives, that contract can be worth up to $269 million. That, obviously, is a ton, for a player who still has some more developing to do.

Mobley's calling card is his defense. The 23-year-old finished third in the Defensive Player of the Year voting in 2022-23, and he would've received some recognition this past season as well had he appeared in more than 50 games. Not only is he an elite rim protector, but he has the ability to defend the perimeter if help is needed. He truly can do it all on that side of the floor, and it'd be shocking if he never won a Defensive Player of the Year award, quite frankly.

His offensive game, however, could use a boost. He did average 15.7 points per game this past season and has averaged 15.2 points in his three seasons, but Mobley is still not much of a threat from three-point range, knocking down just 22 threes all season. His fit alongside Jarrett Allen is still not seamless on the offensive end with them both being mostly non-shooters.

Giving any player who still has more developing to do a max contract might not sound great, but the Cavs didn't have much of a choice here. Mobley has no reason to agree to anything less given the player he has become, and considering his age, there's reason for Cleveland to believe more development is coming.

Mobley would probably benefit more by being a center, but the fact that he's as good as he is playing out of position shows how talented of a player he is.

Other players from his draft class like Cade Cunningham, Scottie Barnes, and Franz Wagner agreeing to massive extensions of their own meant that a Mobley deal was likely coming at some point. The Cavs didn't get good value here or anything, but they locked in a franchise cornerstone for the next half-decade. Solid deal all around.

Evan Mobley Contract Grade: B+