Cleveland Cavaliers Land Concerning Take For Evan Mobley Contract

The Cleveland Cavaliers are being questioned for their decision to hand Evan Mobley a massive contract extension.

May 3, 2024; Orlando, Florida, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley (4) and Orlando Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. (34) jump for the rebound during the first quarter of game six of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images / Mike Watters-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Cavaliers handed Evan Mobley a massive five-year, $224 million contract extension earlier this offseason, a deal many called into question.

Count Bleacher Report's Eric Pincus among those who have doubts about the pact.

In a piece where Pincus predicted which contract each NBA team will regret the most, he cited Mobley's deal for the Cavaliers.

"Like Boston and Charlotte with their recent extensions, the Cavaliers seemingly paid out with little negotiation," Pincus wrote. "Mobley deserved a nice deal, but was it too much?"

An average annual value of about $45 million could seem like an awful lot for someone who averaged just 15.7 points and 9.4 rebounds per game last season, but Cleveland is clearly banking on Mobley's potential.

The Cavs selected Mobley with the No. 3 overall pick of the NBA Draft back in 2021, and while Mobley has certainly been impressive, earning First-Team All-Defense honors and finishing third in Defensive Player of the Year voting during his sophomore campaign, his offensive game has not progressed like the Cavaliers had hoped.

Mobley's offensive repertoire is still very limited, and while he did begin expanding his range out to the three-point line this past year, he is still not a consistent threat from deep.

Additionally, the frontcourt pairing of Mobley and Jarrett Allen is a bit awkward due to the fact that neither big man is known for stretching the floor.

There is no question that there are aspects of Mobley's game that need to improve, but Cleveland seems confident that Mobley will get better as time passes.