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Cavaliers Acquire Kyle Korver From Hawks

January 7th, 2017 at 11:55am CST by Luke Adams

11:55am: The first-round pick acquired by the Hawks in the swap will be top-10 protected in 2019 and 2020, tweets Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com. If it falls in the top 10 in both of those years, it will convert to second-round picks for 2021 and 2022, though that seems unlikely.

According to Bobby Marks of The Vertical (Twitter link), Atlanta also received cash from Cleveland in the deal — roughly enough to cover the $1.2MM left on Williams’ contract. The Cavs were eligible to include up to $1.5MM in a trade.

11:29am: The Cavaliers and Hawks have finalized their trade that was first reported on Thursday, tweets Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal Constitution. The swap, which is now official, will send Kyle Korver to Cleveland in exchange for Mike Dunleavy Jr., Mo Williams, and a protected 2019 first-round pick. The Cavs have confirmed the transaction in a press release.

In Korver, the Cavs will acquire one of the NBA’s best long-distance shooter, who has a career 42.9% mark on three-point attempts. Just two years removed from an All-Star nod, the 35-year-old is averaging 9.5 PPG in 32 contests for the Hawks this season, with a .441/.409/.889 shooting line. Korver will provide Cleveland with some additional outside shooting over the next several months while J.R. Smith is sidelined, and will be another scoring threat for the club in the postseason.

By moving both Dunleavy and Williams in the deal and taking only Korver back in return, the Cavs will open up a spot on their 15-man roster, allowing the team to sign, claim, or trade for another player. There’s no rush for Cleveland to fill that opening, but with Smith expected to be out until March, and Chris Andersen out for the season, the team will be keeping an eye open for depth options.

That roster spot could ultimately be used on a point guard, as the Cavs have been lacking a reliable veteran option since the start of the season. LeBron James has suggested multiple times this week that he’d like to see the team address the position, and there’s no shortage of veteran options on the market, including Mario Chalmers, Jarrett Jack, and Norris Cole.

As for Atlanta, the team has been rumored to be shopping all their veteran players on expiring contracts, a group that included Korver. Now that the club has made one move, there’s a good chance others will follow. Thabo Sefolosha, Tiago Splitter, Kris Humphries, and – of course – Paul Millsap remain on the block for the Hawks.

From a salary cap and CBA perspective, the trade is an interesting one. The Cavaliers had a $9.6MM trade exception available that they could have used to comfortably absorb Korver’s salary, but the team doesn’t necessarily have to use it. Taxpaying teams like the Cavs can acquire up to 125% of the salary they send out in a trade, so Dunleavy’s $4.8MM+ salary is enough to take back Korver, who is earning about $5.2MM.

If Cleveland completed the trade that way, the team would hang onto its big $9.6MM traded player exception, which expires next month, and create a new TPE worth Williams’ salary ($2.19MM). Alternately, using that $9.6MM TPE to take on Korver, and creating new TPEs worth Dunleavy’s salary and Williams’ salary is another possibility for Cleveland. Trade exceptions created today wouldn’t expire until January 2018.

It’s also worth noting that the Cavs needed to first complete a separate trade before this deal could be finalized. Because the Ted Stepien Rule prevents NBA teams from trading consecutive future first-round picks, and Cleveland had already sent its 2018 selection to Portland, the Cavs had to get that ’18 first-rounder back, sending out their 2017 first-round pick instead. That allowed the club to move its 2019 pick in its deal with Atlanta.

The Cavs’ decision to hang onto Williams even after he had announced his retirement paid off as well. Cleveland was able to attach him to this deal, reducing the team’s tax bill and creating an open roster spot. The Hawks, who waived Ryan Kelly this week to create room to complete a two-for-one deal, will likely waive the veteran point guard at some point and eat his salary.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Reactions And Speculation Following Korver Deal

January 6th, 2017 at 10:51pm CST by Austin Kent

There are several reasons why the Korver trade could shift the balance of power to the Cavaliers, writes Keith Smart of RealGM in a recap of the deal. Smart expects Korver’s numbers to surge like Channing Frye‘s did when he was acquired late last season.

In light of the Cavaliers‘ recent deal for Kyle Korver, Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio explores what could be next for the team. Per Amico, Mario Chalmers and Jarrett Jack are among the names that could be added as a backup point guard.
Former teammate of LeBron James and current Bulls guard, Dwyane Wade spoke with Vincent Goodwill of CSN Chicago regarding the Korver deal. “You want the politically correct answer, or the other one? The rich getting richer,” said Wade of the Cavaliers.
There are several reasons why the Korver trade could shift the balance of power to the Cavaliers, writes Keith Smart of RealGM in a recap of the deal. Smart expects Korver’s numbers to surge like Channing Frye‘s did when he was acquired late last season.

Trail Blazers Officially Acquire First-Round Pick

January 6th, 2017 at 4:53pm CST by Austin Kent

The Cavaliers and Trail Blazers have finalized the trade that was first reported on Thursday night, the team writes in a press release. The deal will see Portland return the 2018 first-round pick they acquired from Cleveland last season in exchange for Cleveland’s unprotected 2017 first-round pick.

The deal sets the stage for the Cavs to acquire Kyle Korver and gives the Trail Blazers a pair of first-round picks in a draft that’s already being touted as incredibly exciting and loaded with high-end talent even outside of the Top 10.

The Blazers had originally acquired Cleveland’s 2018 first-round pick in last February’s Anderson Varajao deal, but the Cavs needed to reacquire it in order to work around the Ted Stepien Rule, which prohibits teams from dealing first-round picks in consecutive future years. The Cavaliers have reportedly committed to sending Atlanta their 2019 first-round pick, thus their need to reacquire a first-round pick for 2018.

Cavaliers Finalizing Deal For Kyle Korver

January 6th, 2017 at 2:11pm CST by Austin Kent

JANUARY 6, 2:11pm: The Cavs are shipping out Mo Williams as part of the deal, Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal confirms (Twitter link).

JANUARY 6, 9:08am: The Hawks and Cavs are working on finding a third team for Dunleavy, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical tweets. If they can’t find a taker, Atlanta will keep the small-forward.

JANUARY 5, 8:13pm: The trade has not yet been finalized, but the way things appear to sit now involve the Cavaliers sending Mike Dunleavy Jr. and a 2019 first-round pick to the Hawks in exchange for Kyle Korver. It’s also been reported that Dunleavy could be flipped to a third team prior to Friday’s trade call. Earlier updates had Mo Williams and possibly Cedi Osman involved.

In a separate trade, the Cavaliers are sending their 2017 first-round pick to the Trail Blazers in order to re-acquire their own 2018 first-round pick that, per The Oregonian’s Tim Brown, they gave up in the Anderson Varejao deal last February.

JANUARY 5, 7:36pm: According to Brian Windhorst of ESPN, the Cavaliers have also made a separate trade with the Trail Blazers. They’ll trade their 2017 first-round pick to Portland in order to get their 2018 first-round pick back. He also tweets that Cleveland’s 2019 first-round pick will be on its way to Atlanta.

JANUARY 5, 7:28pm: Wojnarowski now reports that the Cavs will send Mike Dunleavy Jr. to the Hawks and that he’ll likely move on to a third team, though it’s not clear what team that will be. Dunleavy Jr. makes $4.8MM this season, with a team option for next season.

JANUARY 5, 7:15pm: Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets that he hears that the retired – but still tradable – Mo Williams is Atlanta-bound, along with a heavily protected first-round pick from the Cavaliers. He also confirms on Twitter, that the Cavs can absorb Korver’s salary if they wish, via the Anderson Varejao trade exception.

JANUARY 5, 7:08pm: According to Hawks beat writer Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Hawks hadn’t confirmed the deal as of 6:47pm CST, but coach Mike Budenholzer had pulled Korver aside. Vivlamore adds that a Cavaliers executive was in Atlanta last week to watch the sharpshooter. Finally, Vivlamore tweets that Cedi Osman could be among the package going to Atlanta. The 2015 second-round pick is currently playing in Turkey.

JANUARY 5, 6:56pm: The Cavaliers are finalizing a deal that will land them Kyle Korver, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski. While the exact terms being discussed aren’t currently available, what’s known now is that wheels are in motion for the 35-year-old veteran to join the reigning champions.

Over the course of the last five years with the Hawks, Korver has established himself as an elite deep threat and was even named to the All-Star team in 2015. He’ll now join a Cavaliers team that’s seen three-point specialists like Channing Frye and J.R. Smith thrive thanks to the spacing created by its stars.

Korver is on the final year of a contract worth $5.3MM and while the Cavaliers are currently well over the cap, it’s worth noting that they hold four outstanding trade exceptions, including one worth $9.6MM that is set to expire in February.

According to Justin Verrier of ESPN, as of 6:52pm CST, Korver was still warming up on the court prior to Atlanta’s Wednesday night game against New Orleans.

LeBron James Pushing For Cavs To Add Point Guard

January 6th, 2017 at 12:00pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Cavs agreed to acquire Kyle Korver from the Hawks on Thursday, but LeBron James wants the team to do more, as Jason Lloyd of The Akron Beacon Journal writes. James believes the team isn’t ready for another championship run until it adds another point guard.

“We still got a couple more things we need to do,” James said. “We got to get a point guard. It’s my last time saying it. We need a point guard.”

“I think that’s the next step. You look at our league, most teams have three point guards. We only have two with [Kyrie Irving] and our rook in [Kay Felder]. I think just having that security blanket. Every NFL team has three quarterbacks. Having that security blanket in case of a [situation like Derek Carr’s, Oakland’s QB who broke his leg]. We’ll see what happens, but, we’re happy with our team right now.”

It was reported on Thursday that the team is likely to make another move with an eye on obtaining a veteran point guard. The team’s two biggest needs were arguably a back-up point guard and a scoring wing.

Coach Tyronn Lue likes the acquisition of Korver and believes the 35-year-old will be a good fit on the team. “Especially a guy who can move without the ball the way he moves coming off screens and things like that, there’s no better guy,” Lue said. “You put him on the floor with Channing, RJ, LeBron and the floor will open (up) wide, so now you got to pick your poison when you try to help off Kyrie and LeBron.”

Lue added that the shooting guard will come off the bench, a decision that will leave DeAndre Liggins in the starting line-up. The team likes Liggins in that spot because of his ability to defend opposing point guards.

There’s 47 days to go until the NBA trade deadline. Be sure to check Hoops Rumors frequently for the latest on the Cavs and their quest to add a point guard.

Cavs Remain Likely To Address Backup PG Spot

January 5th, 2017 at 8:52am CST by Luke Adams

With Kyrie Irving out of action on Wednesday night and Iman Shumpert needed off the ball, the Cavaliers’ point guard duties fell to Jordan McRae, Kay Felder, and LeBron James during the team’s loss to Chicago. Asked after the game about the point guard spot, James acknowledged that it has been “obvious since day one” that the team lacks a “reliable veteran” to back up Irving.

“Kay’s in the process of learning on the fly,” James said, per Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com. “He’s a rookie and is going to have his mistakes and things of that nature. It’s tough on him because we’re a franchise trying to win a championship. He has to have a fast-track mind. But we don’t have a backup point guard.”

As LeBron noted last night, the Cavs’ hole at point guard has been a topic of discussion all season. Still, the team’s injuries lately have further depleted that spot. At the start of the season, James, Shumpert, and J.R. Smith all assumed some ball-handling duties when Irving was on the bench, but with Smith sidelined and Shumpert playing on the wing, Cleveland has been forced to explore other options, with McRae and Felder getting more reps.

The Cavaliers have kept their eyes open all season long for a veteran backup point guard, but there are reasons to believe the team will address the issue soon. Teams can sign players to 10-day contracts as of today, and James’ comments may spur the Cavs to seek out a short-term fix.

Additionally, as ESPN’s Marc Stein details, several veteran point guards on the free agent market – including Jarrett Jack, Mario Chalmers, and Norris Cole – are getting healthy and will be looking to land NBA jobs. Vardon mentions Chalmers as someone on the Cavs’ radar, and notes that the team is also keeping an eye on the Rajon Rondo situation in Chicago. The Cleveland.com scribe isn’t sure either player is a fit for the Cavs, but it’s clear the club is considering all its options.

According to Sam Amico of NEO Sports Insiders (Twitter link), the Cavs are “highly likely” to add a veteran point guard soon enough.

Felder And Liggins Making Most Of Opportunities In Cleveland

January 4th, 2017 at 6:00pm CST by Austin Kent

The Cavaliers are showing more faith in rookie point guard Kay Felder, especially recently while starter Kyrie Irving has missed time with hamstring tightness. Four times in the last six games Felder has played a substantial role in Cleveland’s rotation and his ability to initiate offense off the bench hasn’t gone unnoticed.

According to Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com, Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue has told the 21-year-old to play his game and not fret about his decisions. The result lends credence to the notion that the solution to Cleveland’s backup point guard dilemma may already be on the roster.

In the five games that Felder has played 15 or more minutes for the reigning champions – all since mid-December – he’s responded with an average of 12.2 points per game in 20.0 minutes. That ability to produce could impact the role he plays for the Cavaliers for the rest of the season.

An injury to J.R. Smith has opened a door for DeAndre Liggins to salvage his NBA career and the 28-year-old has made the most of his opportunity with the Cavaliers. TNT Analyst David Aldridge writes about the lockdown defender’s journey back. “Sometimes you need to go backwards to realize what you had,” he tells Aldridge. “I wake up and think about that.”

McRae Impresses With Guarantee Deadline Looming

January 2nd, 2017 at 2:31pm CST by Luke Adams

Jordan McRae, one of two Cavaliers players on a non-guaranteed contract, had played sparingly for the team this season and hadn’t scored double-digit points in a game until Saturday, when he got a rare start and went off for 20 points. Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com has the details on McRae’s performance, which the Cavs will have to take into account as they decide whether to keep the 25-year-old on the roster.

Cavs Notes: Osman, Luxury Tax, James

December 31st, 2016 at 9:29am CST by Dana Gauruder

Cavaliers draft-and-stash prospect Cedi Osman could be dealt in the near future, according to Joe Vardon of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Vardon hears there is “interest in some corners” for the 6’8” forward, who reportedly wants to play in the NBA next season. Osman, 21, is averaging 8.9 points and shooting 45% from the field for Anadolu Efes Istanbul. What makes him attractive, as Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer points out, is his 41% shooting from 3-point range. Osman was selected in 2015 with the No. 31 overall pick by the Timberwolves. His draft rights, along with those of forward Rakeem Christmas and a future draft pick, were then shipped to the Cavs in exchange for the draft rights of point guard Tyus Jones.

In other musings involving the club:

The Cavs’ ability to make moves is hamstrung by their luxury-tax and draft pick issues, as Pluto details. Chris Andersen and Mo Williams are out for the season and J.R. Smith is out 12-14 weeks after thumb surgery, leaving them with just 12 players. But if they cut Williams to sign a minimum salary player, he would cost about $10MM because of the luxury tax implications, according to Pluto, while cutting Andersen for a minimum player would cost them $7MM.
Cleveland cannot move any first-round picks prior to the 2020 draft in a trade, according to Pluto. That’s because it dealt its 2018 pick in the Channing Frye acquisition last season and teams aren’t allowed to deal picks in consecutive years.
LeBron James, who turned 32 on Friday, feels strong heading into the New Year and the stats bear that out, Vardon writes in a piece comparing James to Michael Jordan when Jordan was 32. He’s averaging 8.6 assists, equaling his career high, and his 25.4 point average is in line with his output over the last two seasons. His 7.9 rebounding average is his highest since the 2012/13 season with the Heat. “I’ve told you guys, I feel great,” he told Vardon and other reporters. “I’ve conditioned myself and I’m having one of the best statistical categories seasons of my career so far and I just want to try to continue to keep it going.”

Thomas Offered Inspiration To Felder

December 30th, 2016 at 3:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Since he was in college, Cavaliers guard Kay Felder has been getting advice from the Celtics’ Isaiah Thomas, relays Chris Fedor at cleveland.com. An All-Star despite his 5’9″ stature, Thomas has been an inspiration to other small guards. “Basically said be you,” Felder said of Thomas’ message. “Do what you do. Do what got you here. I’m a scorer and assist type of guy so don’t let anybody change my game.”