The Cleveland Cavaliers selected Evan Mobley with the third pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. Through just five seasons, he has established himself as one of the premier defensive players in the NBA and has shown rapid growth in his offensive repertoire. Cleveland certainly appears to have made the right choice with its draft pick.
A Look at Evan Mobley’s Salary and Career Earnings
Mobley initially signed with Cleveland on a four-year, $36.7 million rookie deal. He immediately outperformed that contract, averaging 15.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks in his first season.
The forward continued to progress, especially on the defensive end. Coming out of the University of Southern California, scouts knew Mobley had all the tools to be an elite defender, and he lived up to those expectations by finishing third in the 2022-23 Defensive Player of the Year voting and earning first-team All-Defense honors.
He later signed a massive five-year, $269.1 million rookie extension that runs from 2025 through 2029. Mobley will not become an unrestricted free agent until the 2031 offseason, giving Cleveland additional time to build around him. The 24-year-old has earned more than $83.1 million over his five-year career and holds a net worth of $15 million, according to ClutchPoints.
Mobley possesses the rare skill set to protect the rim and guard on the perimeter without a drop-off in either area. Many shifty ballhandlers look to attack downhill when a big man switches onto them, but Mobley’s lateral quickness at 6-foot-11 and 215 pounds limits easy mismatch opportunities. He can defend at the level of the screen and succeed in drop coverage, making him a versatile defensive weapon.
Since Mobley entered the league in 2021 through the 2023-24 campaign, Cleveland has never finished lower than ninth in defensive rating. Jarrett Allen and the former USC product form one of the league’s top defensive frontcourt duos. When Cleveland posted the NBA’s best defensive rating (109.9) during the 2022-23 season, the pair averaged a combined 2.7 blocks per game. Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland lack size in the backcourt, often creating point-of-attack issues, but Allen and Mobley’s interior presence prevents easy looks at the rim.
Mobley’s Offensive Growth
Many expected Mobley to make an immediate defensive impact. However, questions surrounded his outside shooting leading up to the 2021 draft.
The Cavaliers forward averaged just 1.3 and 1.2 3-point attempts over his first three seasons. He shot only 25.0% and 21.6% from beyond the arc in his first two NBA campaigns. That changed in the 2024-25 season, when he improved to 37.0% on 3.2 attempts per game. That step forward coincided with his first All-Star selection and All-NBA second-team honors.
Mobley continues to expand his game, averaging 19.1 points, 9.3 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 1.6 blocks during the 2025-26 campaign. He is also making 1.5 3-pointers per game on 4.3 attempts. Mobley’s steady improvement positions him as a two-way star for years to come.
