Cavaliers Sign Darius Garland to Franchise-Record Contract Extension

Cavaliers guard Darius Garland is the latest young star to receive the maximum designated rookie contract extension after agreeing to terms with the team on Saturday, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

The five-year extension is worth a base of $193 million with the possibility of increasing to $231 million if Garland were to make one of the three All-NBA teams twice. According to Wojnarowski, the extension sets a new franchise record as the largest deal in Cavs history.

Garland, the No. 5 pick in the 2019 draft, is more than worthy of the lucrative contract following an electric third NBA season. The 22-year-old averaged 21.7 points and 8.3 assists per game, while posting shooting splits of 46.2%/38.3%/89.2% on his way to earning an Eastern Conference All-Star nod.

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Behind Garland’s noticeable leap and the emergence of young core, the Cavaliers proved to be one of the more intriguing teams in the Eastern Conference last season. Cleveland finished the year over .500 for the first time since LeBron James left in 2018 and made the play-in tournament before losing to Brooklyn and Atlanta in consecutive games.