Before the 2023-24 NBA season kicked off, the Cleveland Cavaliers took care of business when they announced they had picked up the team option on the fourth and final year of Evan Mobley's rookie contract; which worth $11.2 million. The No. 3 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft by Cleveland and a unanimous NBA All-Rookie First Team selection following the 2021-22 season, Mobley owns career averages of 15.6 points on 53.3% shooting from the field, 8.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.6 blocks in 34.1 minutes over 148 games. Mobley also finished third in the Defensive Player of the Year voting and made the NBA All-Defensive first team last season.

Mobley's progression is perhaps the biggest key to how far the Cavs can go this upcoming season as they size up a bulked-up Eastern Conference thanks to the power moves made by the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics. Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff has said multiple times throughout the preseason that Mobley can make the most significant impact on either end of the court for Cleveland.

With the Cavs picking up Mobley's team option, the organization clearly feels the same way. Now, it's fair to wonder how much money someone as talented as Mobley can secure once his rookie deal is complete.

Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers

Mobley making money

With this move, Mobley will be under contract with the Cavs through the 2024-25 season but is now extension-eligible as early as this summer. Mobley will earn $8.9 million this season and take home $11.2 million for the 2024-25 season. Due to the new terms in the NBA's Collective Bargaining Agreement and Mobley's on-court play, he can be eligible for a maximum rookie scale contract extension, 25% of Cleveland's total salary cap.

Projections on the estimated salary cap for the 2025-26 season, when Mobley's deal begins, could be $164.6 million. So, if Mobley were to put pen to paper next summer, he could sign a mammoth five-year deal starting at $238.7 million but could climb as high as $286.4 million if he were to win NBA MVP, win Defensive Player of the Year or be named to an All-NBA team in the fourth year of his rookie deal.

If Mobley were to agree to the deal, it would be the richest in franchise history, eclipsing the five-year, $193 million extension Darius Garland signed a year ago. It would also put the Cavss in a serious bind financially with Mobley, Garland, Jarrett Allen and Max Strus combining for a possible $132.7 million on their payroll. If Donovan Mitchell elects to stick around for another year and pick up his player option, that number balloons to $169.8 million combined.

Unfortunately for Cleveland ownership, that's the price teams must pay to contend in today's NBA. Considering how good Evan Mobley is and how stellar he'll become, he's more than worth the price the Cavs may have to pay. There's already plenty of uncertainty surrounding Mitchell's future with the team, which could cloud Mobley's decision to stick with the organization. If that were to happen, a trade might occur involving Mobley but, for now, the Cavs don't have to cross that bridge until they possibly come to it.

To keep that from being a possibility, the Cavs need to lock up Mobley sooner rather than later so that Cleveland can continue to build upon their success into a serious force in the Eastern Conference.

But, considering that Cleveland has two homegrown stars in Garland and Mobley, the Cavs are much better off than other teams in similar situations. What matters most is Cleveland locking up Mobley now rather than later so that the Cavs can continue to build upon their success into a serious force in the Eastern Conference.