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LeBron James got away four years ago. The Cleveland Cavaliers aren’t letting something like that happen again. Per reports, the team has made sure star point guard Kyrie Irving is around for a long time, as they locked him up to a five-year contract extension.
The deal, which is good for $90 million over five years, will be made official on July 10th.
Irving has easily separated himself from the pack of other young, rising points guards in the NBA, as he is a seasoned offensive difference-maker. An adept scorer, Irving has averaged at least 18 points per game through his first three NBA seasons, including 20+ per game in the last two. He has also improved as a pure point guard, as he’s dished out at least five assists per game every year he’s been in the league, including a career high 6.1 per game during the 2013-14 NBA season.
There had initially been concerns that Irving didn’t get along with some of his teammates and/or wanted out of Cleveland, but those worries have since been squashed. If there was any lingering doubt about Irving’s interest in staying in town, this latest deal tells Cavs fans all they need to know.
The extension effectively adds five more years on to Irving’s deal, keeping him in Cleveland for six more years. When his contract is up Irving will be 28 years old and ready to sign one more big contract – one in which Cleveland fans will likely cross their fingers will be with the Cavaliers.
Irving is an exciting offensive talent, to be sure, but there is also some hesitance surrounding this deal. He’s struggled with some health issues throughout his young career, while he hasn’t yet developed into a truly elite passing point guard. He’s also been a fairly ineffective presence on the defensive end – if not a complete liability at times.
At just 22 years old, however, Irving has plenty of talent and more than enough time to figure out his main flaws and try to improve. In the meantime, he has his money and security now and hopefully Cleveland will put in the effort to keep getting solid piece around him to help turn the Cavs into a legit playoff contender. The team was on the brink of the playoffs last season, and could be 1-2 moves away from clearing that hurdle and getting back into the post-season mix. Nailing down Irving for the long-term was the first step in that process.
