LeBron James No Longer Holds the Record of the Biggest Contract in Cleveland Cavaliers History
After helping the Cavaliers win their first NBA championship in 2016, LeBron James signed a three-year, $100 million contract with Cleveland, which was his largest deal to date. James’ contract was signed while clubs were being sold for astronomical prices and more players chose to sign free agent contracts in order to secure future contracts with higher salaries.
Each NBA team’s wage ceiling was $94 million in 2016 thanks to a $24 billion television agreement, up from last season’s record-breaking $70 million. However, now LeBron James’s record-breaking contract is not the biggest one in Cleveland Cavaliers‘ history.
Moreover, James’ 100 million dollars contract is the third-highest, behind Kevin Love‘s four-year, $120 million contract. The biggest contract is now with Darius Garland. Yes, to everyone’s surprise, Garland has signed the team’s biggest contract ever.
Darius Garland fetches Cavaliers’ biggest contract, leaving behind LeBron James
The Cleveland Cavaliers recently awarded the biggest deal in franchise history to an unexpected player. The Cavaliers have extended the deal of All-Star guard Darius Garland for a maximum of five years and $193 million, Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Saturday. If Garland is selected to the All-NBA team next season, his contract could increase to $231 million.
Cleveland’s Darius Garland lands a super max rookie extension that could become worth $231M with All-NBA escalators. pic.twitter.com/A2SYEOYRRK
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 2, 2022
Garland, who was selected fifth overall in the 2019 draught, just finished his finest season to date, averaging 21.7 points, 8.6 assists, and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 46.2 percent from the field and 38.3 percent from 3-point range. As the first Cavalier to appear since LeBron James and Kevin Love in 2018, he also made the All-Star Game for the first time in his career.
The Cavaliers made a dramatic improvement the previous season, going 44-38, with Garland as their leader, Jarrett Allen‘s ascent, and the arrival of rookie big man Evan Mobley. The Cavaliers are a squad on the rise, despite the season’s sad conclusion. Cleveland has a promising future, especially now that Garland is certain to be a part of it.
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