Less than two hours into free agency, Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert put out his most significant tweet since the night LeBron James took his talents to South Beach four years ago this month:
Gilbert’s announcement that Kyrie Irving had agreed to sign a five-year maximum contract extension with the Cavaliers – which will kick in starting with the 2015-16 season and pay Irving a total of $90 million – is a landmark day for the franchise.
There had been some thought Irving would decline to sign an extension with the Cavs, instead opting to sign a qualifying offer after the 2014-15 season to then become an unrestricted free agent after the 2015-16 season.
But that never made much sense. Why would Irving turn down the chance to guarantee himself close to $100 million? That’s especially true after the Cavs landed yet another potential star young piece in Andrew Wiggins with the No. 1 pick in the draft last week.
When LeBron James was in Irving’s position, he signed a three-year deal with an opt-out with Cleveland before eventually leaving for Miami. Irving is locked into Cleveland through 2020, giving the Cavaliers several years to turn the franchise into a winner.
Now it’s up to Irving, who had a disappointing season (though he was named the All-Star Game’s MVP) as the Cavaliers missed the playoffs in the weak Eastern Conference, to prove he’s capable of leading Cleveland back into the playoffs for the first time since James ripped off his jersey in Boston in 2010.