Cleveland Cavaliers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Latest On J.R. Smith, Cavaliers

July 18th, 2016 at 11:00am CST by Luke Adams

Since free agency began on July 1, news on J.R. Smith has been scarce. We heard this past week that Cavaliers GM David Griffin was confident about bringing back the veteran shooting guard, and based on the fact that the Cavs hold Smith’s Bird rights and he doesn’t appear to have drawn much outside interest, that seemed logical.

On Sunday, however, Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders tweeted that he’s hearing Smith is seeking a “huge deal” from the Cavs — potentially something in the $15MM-per-year range. By comparison, Smith would have earned $5.375MM if he had opted into the final year of his previous contract rather than declining that player option.

Although a $15MM price tag for Smith may seem outlandish on the surface, Evan Turner recently exceeded $17MM annually on his new deal, while Allen Crabbe received $18MM+ per year. From Smith’s perspective, a deal in the range of Pau Gasol‘s two-year, $30MM pact may seem entirely reasonable, given the salary cap spike and the free agent prices around the NBA, particularly for some less accomplished two guards.

[RELATED: Shooting guard free agent contracts via our 2016 Free Agent Tracker]

Smith also has a little leverage over the Cavaliers because the team isn’t in a great position to replace him if he leaves for another club. Most of the highest-coveted free agents are off the market at this point, and Cleveland isn’t in position to make a big offer to a player like Dion Waiters, since the team doesn’t have any cap room available.

As we saw a year ago with Tristan Thompson – and even this year with LeBron James – the Cavaliers don’t typically rush this sort of negotiation. As long as teams like the Nets and Sixers still have the cap room necessary to offer significant money, Smith could use those clubs as leverage as he seeks a deal with the Cavs. Cleveland, meanwhile, will attempt to get Smith back at a more reasonable price to avoid another big luxury-tax bill. According to Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.com, there has been “zero animosity” between the two sides so far, but that doesn’t mean there will be a quick resolution.

Cavaliers Notes: Smith, McRae, Felder, Liggins

July 16th, 2016 at 11:01am CST by Arthur Hill

GM David Griffin isn’t concerned about the possibility of losing J.R. Smith, writes Sam Amico of Amicohoops. There reportedly has been little interest outside of Cleveland in the 30-year-old free agent shooting guard, who started 77 games during the regular season and was an important contributor to the Cavaliers’ championship run. “These things sometimes take time,” Griffin said. “When the time is right, something will get done. I’m very confident about that.” The team has remained in contact with with Smith, tweets Chris Haynes of Cleveland.com, who adds that Smith’s situation is not related to LeBron James‘ contract talks. Haynes says James is “no rush” to wrap up his new deal.

There’s more this morning out of Cleveland:

Summer League players Jordan McRae, Kay Felder and DeAndre Liggins will be in Cleveland’s training camp and all three have a chance to make the roster, according to Terry Pluto of The Plain Dealer. McRae, a 6’6″ point guard, appeared in 15 games for the Cavs this season and made an impression with a 35-point performance in the finale. Felder is a 5’9″ point guard whom the Cavaliers drafted 54th overall last month after buying the pick from Atlanta. His 9.3 assists per game were the most in Division I basketball this year, and he reminds observers of Celtics All-Star Isaiah Thomas. Liggins, a 6’6″ swingman, was the D-League’s Defensive Player of the Year and can hit from 3-point range.
Another name to watch is Turkish small forward Cedi Osman, whose rights were acquired from Minnesota in a 2015 draft day deal involving Tyus Jones, Pluto writes in the same story. The Cavs are keeping a close eye on Osman, who told reporters he wants to come to the NBA in 2017/18.
Cleveland isn’t in a position to make a big move to counter Golden State’s signing of Kevin Durant, according to Jason Lloyd of The Akron Beacon Journal. The defending champs are out of cap space, have few realistic trade options and a mostly set roster for next season. They are also facing another massive luxury tax bill with the contracts they already have in place. Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue, who defended Durant’s decision, said Cleveland improved with the addition of Mike Dunleavy Jr., who was acquired in a trade with Chicago. “More depth, more shooting, a guy who can come off screens and pindowns and play off movement, getting to the basket and making the right pass,” Lue said about what Dunleavy brings to the team.

Sixers Acquire Sasha Kaun, Will Waive Him

July 15th, 2016 at 5:52pm CST by Luke Adams

5:52pm: The Sixers intend to waive Kaun, according to Wojnarowski (via Twitter). As I noted below, Cleveland sent Philadelphia enough cash to make the move worth the 76ers’ trouble, per Wojnarowski.

5:42pm: The Sixers and Cavaliers have completed a trade, according to a press release issued by the 76ers. The deal sends center Sasha Kaun and cash considerations to Philadelphia in exchange for the rights to Chu Chu Maduabum. Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical tweets that the move clears the way for the Cavs to finalize their signing of Chris Andersen.

Kaun, 31, played his college ball at Kansas and was selected with the 56th overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft. However, as a draft-and-stash prospect, it took him seven years to formally join an NBA roster. Kaun agreed to a two-year contract with the Cavaliers last summer, and still has one season remaining on that deal — he’s owed $1,333,420 in 2016/17.

In his lone season in Cleveland, Kaun didn’t see much action, averaging only 3.8 minutes in 25 games. While it’s possible he’ll see a larger role with the Sixers, Philadelphia has a logjam in its frontcourt at the moment, so this looks like a salary dump for Cleveland. I imagine the Cavs are sending the Sixers more than enough money to cover Kaun’s salary.

Meanwhile, the Cavs didn’t open up any cap room by moving Kaun, since cap holds for LeBron James and others ensure the team is still well over the cap. Wojnarowski’s suggestion that the move opens the door for the club to add Andersen is probably more about clearing a roster spot, and perhaps limiting the team’s tax bill.

Nets Latest Team To Gamble On Bennett

July 15th, 2016 at 10:18am CST by Arthur Hill

The Nets will try to get more out of Anthony Bennett than he produced in his first three NBA stops, writes Bud Shaw of Cleveland.com. Shaw contends that former Cavaliers GM Chris Grant’s decision to take Bennett, who reached an agreement Thursday on a deal with Brooklyn, first overall in 2013 was the biggest mistake in the Cavs’ draft history.

Celtics Rumors: Griffin, Westbrook, Budinger

July 14th, 2016 at 11:00pm CST by Luke Adams

A Wednesday report from Howard Beck of Bleacher Report suggested that rival general managers around the NBA viewed the Celtics as the biggest threat to acquire Russell Westbrook. Those GMs also believed that Thunder GM Sam Presti would be inclined to move Westbrook sooner rather than later if Presti feels that the star point guard is likely to leave in free agency next summer.

As I pointed out when I passed along that report, however, there has been no indication yet that the Thunder are actively exploring a Westbrook deal. Sean Deveney of The Sporting News writes today that Westbrook’s representatives haven’t received word of any trade talks, and they’d almost certainly be involved in that process — after all, any team acquiring the Thunder star would want to talk to his reps about whether he’d be willing to sign up for a long-term stay with that new team.

As Deveney notes, that doesn’t necessarily rule out an eventual Westbrook trade to Boston, but it probably means that the Celtics haven’t gotten serious about targeting him to this point.

Here’s more from Deveney on the Celtics:

The consensus among front-office executives at the Summer League in Las Vegas is that the Celtics will attempt to make a major deal soon, says Deveney.
Boston’s top trade target at this point appears to be Blake Griffin. According to Deveney, a three-way scenario has emerged that would involve the Celtics giving up picks in a deal to acquire Griffin, with the Kings getting involved and sending Rudy Gay to the Clippers. However, opposing front-office execs say the C’s are reluctant to give up their 2018 Nets first-round pick or their swap rights to Brooklyn’s 2017 pick.
If the Clippers do move Griffin in a deal with the Celtics or another team, they’d want to land draft picks and a “frontline star” to keep them in contention, per Deveney. I’m not sure Gay would qualify as that sort of “star,” but perhaps Doc Rivers feels differently.
According to Deveney, several front-office members around the NBA continue to bring up Kevin Love as a Celtics target, even though none of those execs believe that the Cavaliers will be inclined to move Love.
Deveney adds (via Twitter) that the Celtics continue to look for shooting help, and have reached out to veteran free agent Chase Budinger.
Meanwhile, Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald hears from sources that, while the Celtics have expressed interest in Westbrook and Griffin in the past, there have been no recent trade discussions involving either player. However, he acknowledges that Boston remains “very much open” to a major deal, and says situations remain fluid.

Coaching Notes: Lue, Jones, Walton, Kings

July 9th, 2016 at 9:05pm CST by Arthur Hill

A delay in working out an extension with Tyronn Lue has several Cavaliers assistants working in the summer league without contracts, according to Chris Haynes of Cleveland.com. The deals for Jim Boylan, Phil Handy, James Posey and Vitaly Potapenko expired July 1st. Lue, who has promised they will all be kept on his staff, is negotiating an extension after winning an NBA title in his first season as a head coach. He is still under a four-year, $6.5MM contract that he had as an assistant after refusing a three-year, $9.5MM offer when he replaced David Blatt in midseason. Lue has a year left on his current deal and said he isn’t worried about the status of the extension. “It’ll eventually get done,” he said.

There’s more coaching news around the league:

The Cavaliers are expected to make Damon Jones an assistant coach, Haynes writes in the same piece. Jones will replace Bret Brielmaier, who recently joined the Nets‘ staff.
After a two-month wait while the Warriors made their way through the playoffs, former Golden State assistant Luke Walton finally got to coach the Lakers, writes Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com. Walton made his debut Friday night in the Las Vegas Summer League and received a rousing ovation from Lakers fans in attendance. “I know I still have a lot to learn, but I think everybody does, no matter how long you’ve been doing any job,” Walton said. “I’m excited and I feel like I’m ready for this and I’m looking forward to it.”
The Lakers did not keep player development coach Thomas Scott, tweets Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News. Scott is expected to pursue other opportunities.
The Kings have added Bob Thornton and Larry Lewis as assistants to new head coach Dave Joerger, tweets Sean Cunningham of KXTV in Sacramento.

Cavs Shipped $200K To Bucks As Part Of Dellavedova Deal

July 9th, 2016 at 2:28pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Cavaliers shipped the Bucks $200K as part of the sign-and-trade deal involving Matthew Dellavedova, Pincus notes (on Twitter).

Cavaliers One Of Few Teams With TPEs Left

July 8th, 2016 at 12:04pm CST by Luke Adams

We’ll be updating our full list of traded player exceptions soon, once all of the recently-reported trades become official, but we can expect many of the TPEs on that list to disappear. As Bobby Marks of The Vertical tweets, the Cavaliers, Thunder, and Clippers may end up being the only teams with trade exceptions when the dust settles.

Bucks Acquire Dellavedova From Cavs

July 7th, 2016 at 3:53pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 7, 3:53pm: The Cavs and the Bucks have agreed to a sign-and-trade deal that sends Dellavedova to Milwaukee in exchange for cash and the rights to Albert Miralles, Chris Haynes of The Northeast Ohio Media Group reports. Cleveland will also create a trade exception worth $4.8MM as a result of the swap, Haynes adds. The Cavs have announced the deal is official via press release.

JULY 4, 1:13pm: The Cavaliers won’t match the Bucks’ offer sheet for Dellavedova, league sources tell Chris Haynes of Cleveland.com.

JULY 1, 3:40pm: LeBron James has tweeted congratulations to Dellavedova, wishing him good luck in Milwaukee, which makes it sounds as if the Cavs won’t match Milwaukee’s offer sheet.

3:04pm: An agreement between the Bucks and Dellavedova is now in place, tweets Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com. Meanwhile, Brian Windhorst of ESPN (Twitter link) says Milwaukee and Cleveland have had some sign-and-trade discussions, but there’s no traction there at this point. The Bucks aren’t expecting the Cavs to match an offer sheet.

2:59pm: The Bucks are nearing an agreement with Matthew Dellavedova on a four-year, $38MM deal, reports ESPN’s Zach Lowe (via Twitter). David Aldridge of NBA.com confirms (via Twitter) that the two sides are close to a deal, pegging the exact value at $38.4MM.

Dellavedova is currently a restricted free agent, having received a qualifying offer from the Cavaliers. Assuming the Cavs don’t take that qualifying offer off the table, Milwaukee would have to sign the guard to an offer sheet, and hope Cleveland doesn’t match. If the Cavs were to rescind the QO, the Bucks could sign Dellavedova outright as an unrestricted free agent.

The Kings, Hawks, and Mavericks were among the other teams that reached out to Dellavedova’s camp to express interest after free agency got underway last night. According to Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee (Twitter link), Sacramento viewed Dellavedova as a sign-and-trade possibility, so perhaps the Bucks and Cavs will discuss that option as well. If it’s an offer sheet, Cleveland will have three days to match once it’s formally signed.

Dellavedova, 25, was a part-time player for the Cavs during the last three seasons, averaging 7.5 PPG and 4.4 APG while shooting 41.0% from three-point range in 2015/16. He also played some key minutes in the postseason for Cleveland the last two years, though his minutes were reduced in this year’s playoffs.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Dwyane Wade Rumors: Wednesday

July 6th, 2016 at 7:52pm CST by Luke Adams

A handful of updates on Dwyane Wade‘s situation were reported on Tuesday, including the fact that he has canceled his meeting with the Bucks, scheduled a meeting with the Nuggets, and received a contract offer in the two-years, $50MM range from Denver. Wade is said to be seeking a deal in that neighborhood, or something with a guaranteed third year.

Here are Wednesday’s latest updates and rumors on Wade, one of the top free agents left on the market:

7:52pm:

Wade is pushing for a resolution on his future tonight and it’s likely between Miami, Chicago or Denver, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical tweets. The scribe adds via Twitter that Pat Riley would like an answer tonight and if Wade isn’t returning, Riley would move fast on other options.

7:31pm:

Wade is very much open to leaving the Heat after hearing pitches from other teams today, sources tell Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link).

6:35pm:

The Bulls feel Wade is serious about joining their team and they have been in contact with other teams in an attempt to unload contracts, Wojnarowski reports (Twitter links). Jose Calderon and Mike Dunleavy are the two players that Chicago would like to move. Wojnarowski (Twitter link) adds that the team’s canceled meeting has bearing on his status.
The Bucks‘ meeting with Wade went for over an hour and Wade spoke highly of the team’s young roster, Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel passes along (Twitter links). Gardner adds that the Bucks still do not have the cap space to accommodate a Wade deal, so he doesn’t expect the 33-year-old to sign with the franchise. However, David Aldridge of NBA.com (Twitter link) hears that the team believes Wade is “very serious” about joining Milwaukee.
Wade’s meeting with the Heat ended without a deal, Zach Lowe of ESPN.com tweets and according to Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel (Twitter link), his status remains up in the air.
Wade will co-host ABC’s Live with Kelly on Thursday morning and Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link) wonders if the shooting guard will make his announcement then.

1:52pm:

Wade’s meetings with the Nuggets and Bucks are now complete, with the Heat set to finish out the day. The Bulls had been scheduled to meet with Wade today as well, but the team has cancelled the sit-down after its flight kept getting delayed, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. Wojnarowski adds that if Wade has serious interest in Chicago, the club could travel to meet with him on Thursday.

12:46pm:

The Nuggets were “very happy” with how their Wade meeting went, league sources tell Chris Dempsey of The Denver Post (Twitter link). Denver is now waiting for the guard to meet with his other suitors and make a decision.
After meeting with the Nuggets, Wade is sitting down with Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry, says Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (Twitter links), who also confirms that Heat owner Micky Arison will get a sit-down with Wade later in the day.

11:30am:

Wade’s meetings in New York are underway – with the Nuggets going first (Twitter link) – and a decision on his future could happen as soon as Wednesday night, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. Wojnarowski adds that the exact amount of Denver’s offer to Wade is $52MM for two years.