Evan Mobley Ineligible For Rookie Scale Max In 2024 After Cavs Traded For Donovan Mitchell

[RealGM Wiretap]

With the Cleveland Cavaliers trading for Donovan Mitchell, they created one potential issue concerning the next contract of Evan Mobley.

Because the Cavaliers now have Mitchell and Darius Garland on their roster as five-year designated rookie scale max extension players, they cannot have a third player simultaneously. 

Mobley will be eligible for a five-year max extension in 2024, but he will have to wait until he is a restricted free agent in 2025 to sign a five-year max if both Mitchell and Garland remain on the Cavaliers' roster at that time. Mobley can alternatively sign a four-year max extension in 2024, which would make him an unrestricted free agent one season earlier.

Brandon Ingram is a player who recently signed a five-year max contract in restricted free agency instead of an extension coming off his rookie contract, which gives him a different designation. 

Via Brian Windhorst, Tim Bontemps/ESPN

[Zenzibar]

Not Our Problem

[dubbmotta]

Not a big deal...At 23 or 24 I would rather signed the 4 year max, soon as that contract is up sign a bigger max...

[Elnegron]

Not a big deal...At 23 or 24 I would rather signed the 4 year max, soon as that contract is up sign a bigger max...

nah get a 5 year option better. U don't let money go to waste in this kind of situations we are on

[dubbmotta]

Not a big deal...At 23 or 24 I would rather signed the 4 year max, soon as that contract is up sign a bigger max...

nah get a 5 year option better. U don't let money go to waste in this kind of situations we are on

Cap keep going up, why be underpaid for a year?

[Lockdown504090]

Not a big deal...At 23 or 24 I would rather signed the 4 year max, soon as that contract is up sign a bigger max...

nah get a 5 year option better. U don't let money go to waste in this kind of situations we are on

Cap keep going up, why be underpaid for a year?

he should sign a 2+1 and then get a giga deal when the cap spike happens and be the highest paid 26 year old in nba history.

[IWishIWasHarden]

Uh oh. Never disrespect a black basketball player. Now the Cavs have a problem. Team implode pending.

[Elnegron]

Not a big deal...At 23 or 24 I would rather signed the 4 year max, soon as that contract is up sign a bigger max...

nah get a 5 year option better. U don't let money go to waste in this kind of situations we are on

Cap keep going up, why be underpaid for a year?

if u think cap is going up with the incoming recession and possible depression globally with food shortages, I got bridge to sell u at Arizona desert. U will see people deactivating cables left and right, empty arenas etc. There is no revenue stream coming up anytime soon so get what u can get now because this will be the biggest wealth inequality u will experience in ur life time. Poverty will go to all time high thanks to these globalists

[Salty1]

What an awful rule. What's the point?

[HotelVitale]

What an awful rule. What's the point?

It's just the logic of the rookie max, which is meant to be an exception (like the super max is). It was created to help teams keep players they drafted, to allow their offers to be better than ones players could get from other teams in FA. So if the team trades that player then it's already not serving its pure function, and if you already have another player you traded for that's on that rookie max, the NBA won't let you use that exceptional incentive again.

That's also why there's a related rule that a team can't trade for more than one guy on a rookie max (e.g. that's why the Heat couldn't trade Bam to BKN if Simmons was there). I do think a team could have 3 of those rook max guys if they were all players that team drafted, though.

It's a little complicated but there is a logic there, makes sense if you keep in mind 'this 5-year rookie extension only exists to incentivize staying with the team that drafted you.'

[xchange55]

What an awful rule. What's the point?

I think it's meant to try and curb super team building. I know these 3 names together doesn't sound too scary, but just imagine how good of a team you could assemble with 3 rookie max scale players on the same roster.

I feel like Mobley may ask out of CLE because it's going to be much tougher now to get that stats to try and justify the max extension.

[jmbish87]

Probably not a huge issue. Mobley will be talented and developed enough to do what Ingram did and sign a max contract.

[ccvle]

nah get a 5 year option better. U don't let money go to waste in this kind of situations we are on

Cap keep going up, why be underpaid for a year?

if u think cap is going up with the incoming recession and possible depression globally with food shortages, I got bridge to sell u at Arizona desert. U will see people deactivating cables left and right, empty arenas etc. There is no revenue stream coming up anytime soon so get what u can get now because this will be the biggest wealth inequality u will experience in ur life time. Poverty will go to all time high thanks to these globalists

You are delusional if you think the cap is not
going to increase in a few years from todays level. The nba is going to sign a tv deal soon thats going to worth 3x the previous deal. That deal alone is worth more than ticket sales for most team.