Back in the offseason, news came to light that Evan Mobley and the Cleveland Cavaliers agreed to a contract extension. Former ESPN insider Adrian Wojnarowski, who is now the men’s basketball general manager at St. Bonaventure University, allegedly had to stop watching a movie with his family to cover the news of Mobley’s extension to remain in Cleveland.
“So why quit?” Chris Mannix wrote. “Some of it, Woj says, is easy to explain. There was no conspiracy. He wasn’t forced out. Wasn’t threatened with a pay cut. At 55, he was simply burned out. Insiders are the most well-compensated journalists. But the hours are brutal. Holidays, birthdays, barbecues—all threatened by the pursuit of a transaction. Last year, as a Philadelphia 76ers–Los Angeles Clippers deal involving James Harden came together, Woj decamped overnight in an airport because he was afraid the Wi-Fi on a cross-country flight wouldn’t work. Last summer, he ducked out of a family movie night to break news of Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley’s contract extension. His wife, Amy, refers to his phone as a fifth family member. It goes to bed with you. It goes on vacation with you. It’s uninvited … but it’s everywhere you go.”
Interestingly, Wojnarowski’s final “Woj bomb” before he stepped away from the news industry involved a current member of the Cavaliers. Back in September, he reported that Okoro agreed to a three-year, $38 million deal with Cleveland after he spent an extended period of time as a restricted free agent.
Mobley wasn’t the only franchise cornerstone that Cleveland inked to a long-term deal prior to the start of the 2024-25 campaign. The Cavaliers signed Donovan Mitchell to a three-year, $150.3 million extension.
The Mobley contract extension has aged relatively well to this point for Cleveland, as Mobley is having probably the most productive season of his pro career for a Cavaliers team with an NBA-best 19-3 record. He has suited up in all but one of Cleveland’s 22 contests and is averaging a career-high in points (17.8) to go along with 9.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.0 steal and 1.6 blocks per contest.
Mobley has also totaled double-doubles in four of his last five games played. The one game during that span when he didn’t finish with double digits in points and rebounds came against the Boston Celtics on Dec. 1.
The Cavaliers and Mobley can extend their current winning streak to three games with a victory over Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets on Thursday night. The Nuggets own just a 5-5 record over their past 10 contests and are on the heels of an NBA Cup win over the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday.
A win for the Cavaliers would further tighten their grip on the top seed in the Eastern Conference standings as well. The Celtics are just one game back of Cleveland at the moment with a record of 18-4 and have won all but one of their last 10 games.
