To the surprise of many, the Cleveland Cavalier and all-star point guard Kyrie Irving have agreed to terms on a five-year contract extension worth $90 million. Irving was entering the final year of his rookie deal this upcoming season and is now expected to remain a Cavalier until 2020.
Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert tweeted the news at 1:48 a.m. this morning, the first day of free agency in the NBA. The contract cannot be signed until July 10, but Gilbert said he and other team officials including General Manager David Griffin and new head coach David Blatt visited Irving's home in New Jersey to present him the maximum contract extension.
Despite controversy throughout last season regarding Irving's status as a Cavalier, he is now expected to remain with the team through the 2019-2020 season. Much of last year was characterized by issues within the Cavaliers organization, especially among the players. Shooting guard Dion Waiters said the Cavaliers have a double standard when it comes to Irving, refusing to discipline him after slacking on defense, turning the ball over, and taking bad shots. Irving put all swirling speculation to rest with a tweet sent today at 2:02 a.m.
"I'm here for the long haul Cleveland!!! and I'm ecstatic!! Super excited and blessed to be here and apart of something special. #ClevelandKID," Irving said to his followers on Twitter.
It's perhaps a little surprising Cleveland made Irving their first priority when the clock struck midnight on July 1 because the star point guard was non-committal about his future in Cleveland last season and he also has an extensive injury history. Additionally, many believed Cleveland would focus on making a big run at the most prized free agent and former Cavalier, LeBron James.
Previous issues for Irving could have been with the ever-changing coaching staff. He will be playing for his third coach in four years as a member of the team, but newcomer David Blatt is offensively-minded, which is likely to have played a role in Irving's decision, on top of the team drafting Andrew Wiggins first overall last week. Blatt, the former Maccabi Tel Aviv coach, accepted the job with the Cavaliers on June 20 after spending 33 years playing and coaching in Europe.
Nonetheless, despite the previous controversy, the Cavaliers will attempt to make it work with their new coach and their young roster, consisting of shooting guard Dion Waiters, power forward Tristan Thompson, shooting guard Andrew Wiggins, and last year's number one overall pick, power forward Anthony Bennett.
You can read more about Kyrie Irving's extension in this ESPN article.
