Evan Mobley just got a raise in the middle of the playoffs.
On Thursday, the Cavaliers forward was named the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year, beating out Hawks guard Dyson Daniels and Warriors forward Draymond Green. Spurs star Victor Wembanyama was the heavy favorite to win the award before his season ended in February due to blood clots.
For winning the award, Mobley is now set to make $45 million more than he was at the start of the week, which comes with massive salary cap implications for the Cavaliers.
In July, Mobley signed a five-year, $224.2 million contract extension with the Cavaliers. Included in the language of the deal was an increase in Mobley’s salary from 25% of the salary cap to 30% if Mobley won Defensive Player of the Year, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks.
Mobley’s contract extension now tops out at $269 million. His salary next season will start at $46.4 million instead of $38.7 million from the original contract, while the final year for the 2029–2030 season will now pay Mobley $61.2 million, a $10 million increase.
The contract increase also significantly increases the Cavaliers’ team salary. Next season’s roster is expected to account for $219 million in team salary, which puts the team over the dreaded second salary apron. In addition to Mobley’s contract, Donovan Mitchell’s three-year, $150 million extension also kicks in. The team also wants to re-sign Sixth Man of the Year finalist Ty Jerome, who has been one of the NBA’s best bargains at $2.5 million per year.
Teams in the second apron do not have access to the taxpayer mid-level exception to sign players in free agency, they can’t use trade exceptions in transactions, and lose the ability to trade first-round picks seven years into the future. The Cavs are just below the luxury tax this season, but spending three of five seasons in the second apron would move their draft pick to the end of the first round.
The Cavaliers are currently up 2–0 in their first-round series against the Heat. Mobley had 20 points in the team’s 121–112 win over the Heat on Wednesday.
