Cavaliers' Darius Garland agrees to 5-year, $193 million extension

CLEVELAND — Darius Garland's rapid rise to elite NBA status is complete. Cleveland's All-Star point guard agreed Saturday to a five-year, $193 million contract extension, his agent Rich Paul of Klutch Sports told the Associated Press. Garland's deal is the largest in franchise history, and locks up a player the Cavs believe can get them back among the league's top teams. The team also announced the signings of the 14th overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, Ochai Agbaji, second round pick Isaiah Mobley and R.J. Nembhard. Mobley and Nembhard signed two-way contracts. Agbaji, a 6-foot-5, 215-pound wing, started all 39 games this past season for the National Champion Kansas Jayhawks. He led the Big 12 with 18.8 points per game, while securing 5.1 rebounds in 35.0 minutes to earn Big 12 Player of the Year and the NCAA Tournament's Most Outstanding Player awards. Mobley, a 6-foot-10, 240-pound forward, led the University of Southern California with 14.2 points and 8.3 rebounds last season. Nembhard, a 6-foot-5, 200-pound wing, played in 14 games for the Cavaliers last season. He also played in 15 games for the Cleveland Charge, averaging 24.5 points, 8.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists. The fifth overall pick in 2019, Garland has quickly developed into one of the game's best all-around guards. Last season, he averaged 21.7 points and 8.6 assists in 68 games while helping the Cavs win 22 more games than the previous season. The 22-year-old Garland has improved statistically each season, but beyond that, he has grown as a leader for a rising Cleveland team that just missed the playoffs last season. He's one of the team's core pieces along with All-Star center Jarrett Allen and forward Evan Mobley. Garland agreed to the same deal that another elite young guard, Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies, struck earlier in the week as the majority of the league's offseason business began getting underway. Garland's extension begins in the 2023-24 season and, for now, would see him making just over $33 million in the first year and escalating steadily, all the way to $44 million in 2027-28. If he makes an All-NBA team this coming season — meaning he would have to be selected as one of the top six guards in the league, unless the league changes its voting structure before then — the numbers get even bigger, going from "max" to "supermax." In that scenario, Garland would start out making $40 million in 2023-24, and be due almost $53 million in 2027-28.