Irving had been rumoured to be wanting to leave the Cavs this summer…
The Cleveland Cavaliers have agreed a five-year maximum contract extension worth approximately $90m with point guard and franchise cornerstone, Kyrie Irving.
Irving had one year remaining on his contract, but the new deal, which will go into effect next season, will run through to the end of the 2019-2020 season, as announced by team owner Dan Gilbert on his Twitter feed.
However, the deal can’t be signed until July 10 but it appears to be a mere formality after both Gilbert and Irving took to Twitter to share their joy with the news of securing their long-term future together.
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
— Kyrie Irving (@KyrieIrving) July 1, 2014
The 22-year-old was seen as a vital component of the roster moving forward, as the point guard stabilises the franchise and is a significant message from Gilbert in that he will not allow a star player to depart in controversial circumstances as in the case of LeBron James back in 2010.
Nevertheless, Irving had a relatively rocky season last year averaging 20.8 points and 6.1 assists in a career-high 71 games for the Cavs, but the No.1 pick in the 2011 draft saw his shooting statistics dip in the latter stages as Cleveland fell short of the playoffs.
Coach Mike Brown paid the ultimate price as he was fired in May, but there appears to be an onus on creating a settled and youthful roster after Andrew Wiggins was added to the mix with the first overall pick in last Thursday’s draft.
The Cavs are now expected to be aggressive in free agency and are seeking a meeting with James while they will also look to re-sign their own free agent, Spencer Hawes.
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