The Cleveland Cavaliers may be among those who are happy with how the new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) between the NBA and National Basketball Players Association has turned out.
Some details about the CBA have emerged, and one of them benefits the Cavs. That’s because according to the new CBA, an organization will be allowed to have more than two supermax players.
ESPN Sources w/ @BobbyMarks42: NBA and NBPA agreed to eliminate restrictions limiting a team to two designated super-max players. This would have a huge impact for Cavs, who have Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland on super max deals and Evan Mobley approaching rookie extension. https://t.co/LcI0Zjb3FF
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 2, 2023
When the team acquired Donovan Mitchell last offseason, it seemingly put itself in a conundrum. The four-time All-Star was already on a five-year designated rookie scale max extension, which was similar to what Darius Garland signed with the Cavs some time earlier.
Because NBA teams are only allowed two players with such designations, there were concerns on how Cleveland could retain Evan Mobley in the long run.
The potential contract issue seemingly hounded the Cavs even in the middle of the season, as they were reportedly keeping an eye on the extension rules.
With the new CBA, Cleveland can heave a sigh of relief. The deal has not yet been officially finalized because it is yet to be ratified by the league governors and players. But unless something drastic occurs in the following weeks, the CBA will presumably take effect starting with the 2023-24 season.
The Cavs are still not out of the woods, though, as having three players signed to maximum contracts could hamper the team’s ability to fill the roster with complementary pieces in the future. Still, that would be a better problem to have than being unable to offer Mobley a contract commensurate with his value to the organization.
As the season continues to progress, it has become clearer that the No. 3 pick of the 2021 draft deserves to be paid handsomely once he is eligible for a contract extension.
Through 76 appearances in the 2022-23 campaign, he has recorded 16.4 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game. Mobley has also been quite efficient from the field, connecting on 55.9 percent of his shots.
He has displayed impressive defensive skills, helping anchor a stout Cavs defense. Mitchell, who previously played with three-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert, even campaigned for Mobley to be considered for the award.
Hopefully, Cleveland can retain Mobley, Mitchell and the rest of the current core for a long time.
