The Cleveland Cavaliers are increasingly expected to sign Evan Mobley to a max contract extension this summer, according to Marc Stein of The Stein Line.
The Cavs are also growing confident of signing Donovan Mitchell to a contract extension.
Mobley’s agents reportedly cautioned the Cavs about drafting the player with the third pick of the 2021 NBA Draft.
Should the Cavs succeed in re-signing both Mobley and Mitchell, Jarrett Allen would be a trade target for teams around the league.
The Denver Nuggets were a popular pick to repeat as champion, but they were ultimately eliminated in the second round by a Minnesota Timberwolves team with the requisite size and defense to slow down three-time MVP Nikola Jokic.
While Anthony Edwards Karl-Anthony Towns, Jaden McDaniels and Naz Reid were in place before the arrival of Tim Connelly, the former Nuggets’ executive traded for both Rudy Gobert and Mike Conley with the roster being particularly well suited to play against Denver.
“I mean, I think they’re built to beat us,” Jokic said. “Just look at their roster. They have basically two All-Stars, two probably first-team defensive players. Mike Conley is the most underrated player in the NBA, probably.
“From the bench, they have a Sixth Man of the Year. … [They are] one team that they can do literally everything. They can be big, small.”
Tom Thibodeau has been a lot place in his NBA coaching career. He knows when he wants to stay somewhere. Now, Thibodeau hopes to stay with the New York Knicks for a while longer.
“That’s something that my agent will take care of,” Thibodeau said about extending his contract. “The Knicks have been great to me. So, this is where I want to be.”
Thibodeau has one year remaining on the five-year deal he signed with New York ahead of the 2020-21 season. Sources expect that the Knicks will do what they can to extend Thibodeau this summer, likely on a deal in the range of $10 million per season.
Despite criticism that he plays his players too many minutes, several Knicks defended Thibodeau. Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and others all expressed hope that New York would take care of their coach with a contract extension.
