Sources: Cavs Exercise Evan Mobley's Fourth-Year Option

League sources have confirmed to Cavs Insider that the Cleveland Cavaliers have exercised Evan Mobley's fourth-year contract option.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have exercised Evan Mobley's fourth-year contract option for 2024-25, league sources confirmed to Cavs Insider on Wednesday night. Cleveland.com's Chris Fedor was the first to report the news.

Picking Mobley's option up comes as no surprise. The Cavs are all-in on him as a top-tier forward in the NBA, and he's made strides annually toward that with his development.

While Mobley will be eligible for a four-year rookie maximum contract extension next summer, he would have to wait until restricted free agency in 2025 to sign a full rookie max extension if both Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell are still on the roster. 

(The NBA has a designated rule where a team can only have two players with a rookie max extension on the roster, and each of Garland and Mitchell's deals fall into that category.)

Coming off a terrific sophomore season, the 22-year-old has put in a ton of work over the summer on his body and with his game.

Oct 12, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley (4) drives to the basket against Orlando Magic center Goga Bitadze (35) during the second half at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse / Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Last year, Mobley played a significant role in Cleveland locking down its opponents to a league-best 106.9 points per game. The Cavs' defensive rating ranked at the top of the list as well. 

As a whole, Mobley averaged 16.2 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.5 blocks per game. He upped his field-goal percentage to 55.8 percent on 12 attempts per contest.

Mobley is going to be a big part of the future for this Cavs group, which has a promising young core with a good mix of veterans.