Dwyane Wade “Thought About” Cavs In Free Agency
Dwyane Wade was one of the last top free agents to make a decision on his next team back in July, and while the Bulls and Heat were his primary suitors, along with teams like the Nuggets and Bucks, there were whispers that the Cavaliers were involved as well, with amateur sleuths attempting to track the whereabouts of Wade and Cavs owner Dan Gilbert.
Cleveland never really made sense as a destination for Wade unless he and/or LeBron James were willing to take a significant pay cut to make it happen. However, in an interview with Leo Sepkowitz of SlamOnline.com, the longtime Heat star admitted the thought of teaming up with LeBron again crossed his mind, but he ultimately couldn’t pass up the opportunity to return home.
“For me, it’s as simple as, I got a deal in Miami for $41 million, I got a deal in Chicago for $47 million,” Wade said. “It didn’t come down to the money. I thought about Cleveland, but I didn’t fit there. You don’t just do something because, ‘Oh, I could win the ring there.’ I have three rings. I don’t need to chase the ring. This is what I wanted to do. I couldn’t fight it. If you fight it, you’re gonna always be like, You shoulda, or, What could’ve—I don’t like to live my life like that.”
Wade also acknowledged that his decision to leave Miami was one that caught the NBA world off guard, particularly coming on the heels of Kevin Durant‘s announcement that he was leaving the Thunder to join the Warriors.
“I made a decision that was like, ‘What?!’ We were already like, ‘What?!’ when KD made his decision, so it was like, ‘What?! What?!’—like a double ‘What!'” Wade told Sepkowitz. “I’m happy that he made his decision for himself, and myself the same. If you’re a supporter of mine, then you’re happy that I made the decision for me. Doesn’t mean you love it, but you’re happy for me.”
If things don’t go smoothly for Wade and the Bulls in 2016/17, the former Finals MVP will have the opportunity to explore the market again next summer — his two-year deal with Chicago includes a player option.
Norris Cole To Play In China
10:16am: Cole drew some NBA interest from the Cavs, Nuggets, and Suns, but no team was willing to offer him more than the minimum, according to Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net, who adds that Cole’s deal in China is believed to be worth about $5MM.
8:56am: Norris Cole is headed overseas for the coming season, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando, who passes along a report from Zhang Duo (Twitter link). International basketball reporter David Pick confirms (via Twitter) that Cole has signed with the Shandong Golden Stars of the Chinese Basketball Association, per the guard’s agent.
Cole, who turns 28 this month, appeared in 45 games for the Pelicans last season, starting 23 of them. He set new career highs with 10.6 PPG, 3.7 APG, and 3.4 RPG, though his FG% (.405) and 3PT% (.324) were a little below his career marks. Before joining the Pelicans, the former first-round pick had spent three and a half seasons in Miami with the Heat.
A recent report suggested that Cole was drawing interest from Cleveland as the team considered adding point guard depth, but the Cavs ultimately decided to add Toney Douglas, perhaps prompting Cole to accept an offer elsewhere.
By signing with Shandong, Cole will be joining the team that signed NBA free agent Jason Thompson earlier in the offseason. According to Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net (via Twitter), Cole’s deal is believed to have an NBA out. The Chinese regular season typically ends in February, with the playoffs wrapping up in March, so assuming Cole didn’t sign a multiyear pact – which seems like a safe bet – he should have the opportunity to return to the NBA before the end of the 2016/17 campaign.
Blatt Recieves Championship Ring From Team
- Former Cavs coach David Blatt, whose ouster last season didn’t sit well with him given the circumstances, accepted an NBA Championship ring from the franchise, international journalist David Pick relays (via Twitter). “(Cleveland) offered and I graciously accepted because they presented it to me in a way that was very respectful,” Blatt told Pick. “The Cavaliers wanted to give me a ring because the organization felt that I contributed to the championship. It’s not my championship, I recognize that, but I also feel that I did something there. The big thing for me was that I felt that they felt it was earned, not given.“
Players Who Can Veto Trades
No-trade clauses are rare in the NBA, and they became even rarer this offseason, when several players with those clauses in their contracts either called it a career or signed new deals. Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, and Kevin Garnett, who all opted for retirement, had no-trade clauses last season, and so did Dwyane Wade, who doesn’t have the same protection on his new contract with the Bulls.
Nonethless, while the list of players with explicit no-trade clauses may be dwindling, there are still several players each year who have the ability to veto trades. A player who re-signs with his previous team on a one-year contract – or a two-year contract with an option clause – is given no-trade protection, and so is a player who signs an offer sheet and has that offer matched by his previous team. Players who accept qualifying offers after their rookie deals expire can also block deals, though no restricted free agents signed their QOs this year.
Taking into account that list of criteria, here are the players who must give their consent if their teams want to trade them during the 2016/17 league year:
No-trade clauses
- Carmelo Anthony (Knicks)
- LeBron James (Cavaliers): Received no-trade clause on his new contract with Cavs.
- Dirk Nowitzki (Mavericks)
Players whose offer sheets were matched
- Allen Crabbe (Trail Blazers)
- Tyler Johnson (Heat)
Players accepting qualifying offers
- None
Players re-signing for one year (or two years including an option)
- Lou Amundson (Knicks) (waived)
- Elton Brand (Sixers) (retired)
- Ian Clark (Warriors)
- Alonzo Gee (Pelicans) (waived)
- Manu Ginobili (Spurs)
- Udonis Haslem (Heat)
- Kris Humphries (Hawks)
- Dahntay Jones (Cavaliers) (waived)
- James Jones (Cavaliers)
- James Michael McAdoo (Warriors)
- Steve Novak (Bucks)
- Marcus Thornton (Wizards)
- Beno Udrih (Pistons)
- Anderson Varejao (Warriors)
- Sasha Vujacic (Knicks)
- Metta World Peace (Lakers)
Information from Basketball Insiders and Yahoo! Sports was used in the creation of this post.
Moreland Still Recovering From Foot Injury
The Cavs waived Eric Moreland earlier today to make room to sign Toney Douglas. The forward isn’t upset with the move since he’s still recovering from a foot injury he suffered last season and isn’t quite ready to return to action, Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com notes. “I feel it is in my best interest for me to take my time to make sure I am 100 percent healthy,” Moreland told Goodman. “I feel really good and think I am close to being game ready but with the setback I have already been through, I want be extra cautious with my return and do everything I can to make sure I my foot has completely healed.”
Cavaliers Sign Toney Douglas
11:07am: Douglas’ deal with the Cavs doesn’t include any guaranteed money, though he’ll have the opportunity to earn a regular-season roster spot, tweets Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com.
10:58am: The Cavaliers have added some veteran depth at the point guard position, announcing today in a press release that they’ve signed unrestricted free agent Toney Douglas to a contract. To make room on their 20-man preseason roster, the Cavs have waived big man Eric Moreland, according to the team.
Douglas, 30, began his NBA career in 2009 with the Knicks. After spending three seasons in New York, the point guard has bounced around, playing for the Rockets, Kings, Warriors, Heat, and Pelicans. His time with the Heat overlapped with LeBron James‘ last season in Miami, so the two players will be teammates again this fall in Cleveland.
Last season, Douglas started a career-high 18 games for the Pelicans, appearing in 61 overall contests. The former first-round pick averaged 8.7 PPG, 2.6 APG, 2.3 RPG, and 1.1 SPG, to go along with a shooting line of .411/.399/.848.
While Douglas likely isn’t guaranteed a roster spot for the regular season, he’ll have a good chance to crack the rotation in Cleveland, given the club’s lack of point guard depth. Mo Williams was expected to enter the season as a primary backup behind Kyrie Irving at the point, but Williams decided to retire instead. The only other true point guard on the Cavs’ roster prior to the signing of Douglas was Kay Felder, a second-round rookie who may not be ready to handle a key rotation role right away.
We don’t know the details yet on Douglas’ contract, though it will almost certainly be a minimum-salary pact. If he receives a fully guaranteed deal, or at least a significant partial guarantee, it will be a strong signal that the Cavs expect him to make their 15-man roster.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Love Has Gotten Past Trade Rumors
- Kevin Love has learned to block out the criticism and trade rumors that have followed him since he joined the Cavaliers two years ago, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com. Love believes he proved his worth to the team during the championship run and he isn’t concerned with what outsiders think of his performance. He is also secure enough with his place in the organization that trade speculation doesn’t concern him. “Trade rumors, you know, I don’t know,” Love said. “You lose a couple games … No, I don’t know how to answer that. No. I’m here, man. I plan on being here a very long time.”
LeBron Discusses Cavs’ Negotiations With J.R. Smith
A year after the Cavaliers and Tristan Thompson took contract negotiations down to the wire, the team is once again engaged in a standoff with a key free agent. This time around, it’s J.R. Smith who remains unsigned, despite the fact that the Cavs have made him an “incredibly competitive and aggressive” offer, according to general manager David Griffin.
While the two sides are still expected to reach an agreement eventually, count LeBron James among those who isn’t thrilled about the fact that there’s no resolution yet. Speaking today to reporters, including Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com, the Finals MVP said he hates “having to deal with this s–t again” during training camp, adding that “it wouldn’t be good for any side” if the Cavs and Smith don’t work something out.
“Negotiations are always two sides but J.R. did his part,” James said. “He showed up every day. Worked his ass off every day. Became a two-way player, a model citizen in Cleveland and he’s a fan favorite, obviously we all know that. All of the sudden now he’s a season ticket holder at the Indians games. We just miss him. We miss having him around. He’s a big piece of our team and they just need to get it done.”
While LeBron suggested he’s not involved in negotiations at all, his praise for Smith suggests he wants to see his teammate gets paid, and his comments today may be designed to nudge the Cavs toward increasing their offer a little. According to Vardon, the club’s offer to Smith, which he rejected, was somewhere between $10-11MM annually. The veteran guard was reportedly seeking $15MM per year earlier in the offseason.
Smith, who turned 31 this month, started a career-high 77 games for the Cavs during the 2015/16 season, and also started all 21 of the team’s playoff games. During the season, he averaged 12.4 PPG and shot 40.0% from long distance, making 2.6 threes per game. He increased those three-point numbers to 43.0% and 3.1 per game during the postseason.
Contract Details: Brand, Rockets, Thunder, Pacers
With training camps underway, teams have now officially finalized the contract agreements with various camp invitees that had been reported over the past several weeks, meaning we have plenty of contract details to round up. As usual, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders has been busy reporting those details, updating his salary pages for teams around the NBA.
Because we have so many updates to pass along from Pincus, we’ll divide them up by players who received some guaranteed money from their teams, and those who didn’t. All of the links below point to the Basketball Insiders team salary pages, so be sure to click through for additional information.
Here are the latest salary updates from across the league, via Pincus:
Players receiving guaranteed money:
These players aren’t necessarily assured of regular-season roster spots. In fact, many of them likely received guarantees as an incentive to accept a D-League assignment. Still, for some players, larger guarantees should increase their odds of making 15-man rosters.
- Thomas Walkup (Bulls): One year, minimum salary. $69.5K guaranteed.
- Keith Benson (Heat): Two years, minimum salary. $75K guaranteed.
- Henry Sims (Jazz): One year, minimum salary. $75K guaranteed.
- Alex Poythress (Pacers): One year, minimum salary. $35,381 guaranteed.
- Kevin Seraphin (Pacers): Two years, $3.681MM. First year ($1.8MM) guaranteed.
- Julyan Stone (Pacers): One year, minimum salary. $50K guaranteed.
- Gary Payton II (Rockets): Two years, minimum salary. First year ($543,471) guaranteed.
- Isaiah Taylor (Rockets): Two years, minimum salary. $50K guaranteed.
- Kyle Wiltjer (Rockets): Two years, minimum salary. $275K guaranteed.
- Cat Barber (Sixers): One year, minimum salary. $50K guaranteed.
- Elton Brand (Sixers): One year, minimum salary. $1MM guaranteed.
- Derrick Jones (Suns): Three years, minimum salary. $42.5K guaranteed.
- Alex Caruso (Thunder): One year, minimum salary. $50K guaranteed.
- Kaleb Tarczewski (Thunder): One year, minimum salary. $75K guaranteed.
- Chris Wright (Thunder): One year, minimum salary. $100K guaranteed.
Players receiving no guaranteed money:
The following players all signed one-year, minimum salary contracts with no guaranteed money. Many of these deals are “summer contracts,” which won’t count against a team’s cap unless the player earns a spot on the 15-man roster.
- Jabari Brown and Jaleel Roberts (Bucks)
- Markel Brown, Dahntay Jones, Cory Jefferson, Eric Moreland, John Holland, and Jonathan Holmes (Cavaliers)
- Dorell Wright (Clippers)
- Chris Crawford (Grizzlies)
- Ryan Kelly, Will Bynum, and Richard Solomon (Hawks)
- Perry Ellis (Hornets)
- Eric Dawson (Jazz)
- Julian Jacobs and Travis Wear (Lakers)
- Quinn Cook (Pelicans)
- Joel Anthony and Nicolas Laprovittola (Spurs)
- Gracin Bakumanya, Derek Cooke, and Shaquille Harrison (Suns)
- Rasual Butler (Timberwolves)
Dunleavy Admires Cavs' Work Ethic
- After being traded from the Bulls to the Cavaliers over the summer, Mike Dunleavy says his new Cleveland teammates have a work ethic far beyond what he saw in Chicago, relays Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. Dunleavy admired the humility the Cavs showed despite their success of the past two seasons and noted that the stars are willing to put in extra practice time. “I’ve been on a lot of teams where guys come and go, show up five minutes before practice and leave right after,” he said. “We have our best players here an hour and a half early and stay an hour and a half late. Quite honestly, that’s kind of new to me.”