Last month there were rumors that the Cleveland Cavaliers were hesitant to offer Kyrie Irving a max contract. Well on Monday the Cavaliers and Kyrie agreed on a 5 year deal extension worth $90 million.
A five-year, $90 million deal is the maximum allowable under the league's collective bargaining agreement. If Irving is voted to start in next year's All-Star Game, he will be eligible for the so-called "Derrick Rose" provision. That rule states that a player who is voted a starter in two All-Star Games, wins an MVP or is named to two All-NBA teams can be maxed out at five years and 30 percent of the salary cap. All other players signing extensions off their rookie contracts can sign for a maximum of 25 percent of the salary cap.
It seems that the Cavs have overpaid for Kyrie. However Irving has already been an All-Star Game MVP. He's career average is around 20.7 points and 5.8 assists per game. One thing Kyrie lacks though is a defensive mindset, and defense is all important quality in winning championships. If Irving wanted to leave Cleveland, he would have to not only decline the Cavs' offer this season but also work on a one-year qualifying offer in 2015-16 to hit unrestricted costless agency.
Also Mark Stein from ESPN has some info on the Cavs and Irving deal
No deals can be signed before July 10 when league wide moratorium lifted but teams/players can strike verbal agreement as Cavs/Kyrie just did
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) July 1, 2014
The move to sign Irving may also mean the end of courting LeBron James to return to Cleveland. With Irving's max contract, there simply may not be enough cap space to offer the kind of money James is seeking.
The Cavaliers also drafted Andrew Wiggins in this years draft. So it will be interested who runs the point and who plays shooting guard in Cleveland.
