Darius Garland, Cavs Agree to 5-Year, $193M Max Contract; Largest in Team History

The Cleveland Cavaliers and point guard Darius Garland have agreed to the largest deal in franchise history.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski provided the details:

The Cavs picked up Garland's 2022-23 option last October. He was set to become a restricted free agent in 2023 without a new deal.

That's not happening now, though, as the former Vanderbilt star is sticking in town.

Garland enjoyed a fantastic breakout season during his third NBA campaign, averaging 21.7 points on 46.2 percent shooting and 8.6 assists per game.

Thanks largely to his efforts, Cleveland went 44-38 and qualified for the play-in tournament, but the Cavs fell to the Brooklyn Nets and Atlanta Hawks to miss out on the playoffs. Still, the Cavs doubled their win total from the year before, and optimism remains high in Cleveland.

It was an incredible effort considering that the Cavs lost Collin Sexton to a season-ending torn meniscus that held him to just 11 games. Sexton was the team's 2020-21 offensive focal point with a team-high 24.3 points per game.

The table appears set in Cleveland for success with Garland and center Jarrett Allen, who each made the All-Star Game this year.

Add Rookie of the Year runner-up Evan Mobley to the mix, and you have a solid core in Cleveland to build on for the future.

Signing Garland to a long-term deal is the biggest piece to that puzzle, and now the Cavs have set themselves up behind a budding superstar who can lead Cleveland to greater heights.