Cavaliers Rumors

Central Notes: Hoiberg, Parker, Jefferson, Boatright

October 27th, 2015 at 10:13am CST by Chuck Myron

Fred Hoiberg chose the Bulls in part because of their ability not just to win now but to have sustained success for the future, Iowa State athletics director Jamie Pollard tells K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. Indeed, long-term thinking is a key for Hoiberg’s Bulls, as the coach has taken a decidedly less-aggressive approach than Tom Thibodeau, his predecessor, leading Jimmy Butler to remark that Hoiberg “really cares about how our body feels,” as Johnson relays. In all, Hoiberg has brought more calm and collaboration to the Bulls, Johnson writes.

“There are days where he just talks and relates to us. That’s big,” Taj Gibson said. “Sometimes, guys come in a little down. It’s good to have a coach that comes to you and says, ‘It’s all right. Things are going to happen. I’ve been there.'”

Another change for the Bulls this season is an opening night roster with 15 players, breaking a longstanding tradition of starting with less than the maximum number of players allowed. See more from around the Central Division:

The Bucks privately say that they won’t rule out the notion that Jabari Parker‘s absence will extend until late November, according to Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times. Last year’s No. 2 overall pick is still recovering from the torn left ACL he suffered in December.
The Cavaliers finished with a 1-6 preseason record, but Richard Jefferson was perhaps the team’s most consistent player throughout, an encouraging sign considering the free agent signee’s key role as the backup to LeBron James, as Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group and the Cleveland Plain Dealer details. The 35-year-old Jefferson asked out of a guaranteed one-year deal for the minimum with the Mavs to sign a contract for the same terms with Cleveland.
The deal that Ryan Boatright signed with the Pistons last week was non-guaranteed, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders, so since Detroit waived him by the close of business on Saturday, he doesn’t count against the team’s cap. He’s reportedly expected to join Detroit’s D-League team as an affiliate player.

Cavaliers Notes: Thompson, Love, Cunningham

October 25th, 2015 at 9:00am CST by Arthur Hill

Tristan Thompson doesn’t regret his long holdout that stretched through the summer and almost to the start of the regular season, according to Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group. The standoff ended Thursday when the fifth-year power forward signed a five-year, $82MM contract, making him the NBA’s highest-paid reserve. Haynes notes that negotiations began in October of 2014, when Thompson and his agents, Rich Paul and Mark Termini, turned down a four-year, $50MM extension offer. “If you asked if I would do it again, I’ll tell you I would do it again in a heartbeat,” Thompson said. “Business is business and I believed in my guys Rich and Mark and myself and that’s what I did.”

There’s more from Cleveland this morning:

Kevin Love tells Terry Pluto of The Plain-Dealer that he re-signed with the Cavaliers because they gave him the three things he wanted most: happiness, winning and ultimately, a max contract. Love agreed to a five-year, $113MM deal at the earliest possible moment, right after midnight on July 1st. “That’s why playing in Cleveland is a no-brainer,” he said. “Being here, you compete for a championship each year. It’s why I came here in the first place. We’re very talented. That’s a big thing for me and for how I now look at the game.”
Cleveland is hoping the offseason additions of Richard Jefferson and Mo Williams will cut down the playing time of its stars, writes Michael Beaven of The Akron Beacon-Journal. The veteran depth already appears to be important, as Kyrie Irving and Iman Shumpert are injured to start the season. In addition, Love is returning from surgery, as are Timofey Mozgov and Anderson Varejao. “It was a point in my career where backing up LeBron, playing that 3 spot is ideal,” Jefferson said. “The man plays 40 minutes a night so if I can go out there and give 10 to 12 minutes [a game] over the course of the season it is an opportunity for me to stay healthy and play at a higher level. I believe this is one of the best chances I had at playing for a contender.”
Keeping Jared Cunningham on their roster will cost the Cavaliers just $947,276 in salary, but possibly $3,759,961 in luxury tax, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. However, the luxury tax figure only applies if Cunningham is on the roster through the end of the season.

Categories:
Cleveland Cavaliers

Central Notes: Granger, Noah, Thompson

October 24th, 2015 at 5:14pm CST by Eddie Scarito

It’s all but inevitable that the Pistons will waive Danny Granger, coach/executive Stan Van Gundy admits, according to Keith Langlois of Pistons.com (Twitter link). They’re exploring trade options in the interim, according to Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press, who cautions that it doesn’t mean a deal will happen (Twitter links). Granger has a fully guaranteed salary of $2,170,465, one of 16 full guarantees on the Pistons.

Here’s the latest from the Central Division:

The Pacers‘ new D-League affiliate, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, officially hired Harrison Greenberg as Director of Basketball Operations, the team announced.
LeBron James is pleased that Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert is willing to venture deep into luxury tax territory in an effort to put together a contending team, Joe Vardon of The Northeast Ohio Media Group writes. “It’s a sign that he’ll do anything to help us go out there and perform,” James said of Gilbert’s spending. “I’m not comparing us to the New York Yankees, because we’re not, we’re so nowhere near compared to the New York Yankees, but they have one of the highest payrolls every year,” James continued. “They don’t win it every year but that’s what they believe in. They believe in going out there and getting the best talent that can play. When you have an ownership group or a collection round that believes what it’s going to take, then money is not an object.“
While Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg has yet to make it official, center Joakim Noah is likely to begin the season coming off the bench, writes Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com. “We’ll start the same way,” Hoiberg said. “If it looks good, [that’s] a pretty good chance that’s the way we’ll go on opening night.” When asked about Noah’s response to the potential move, Hoiberg said, “We’ve talked. We talk about everything that he’s done. He was great, he was excited about playing with Taj Gibson last game. I think those two have a very good chemistry out there together. And [Noah] was the one that talked to me about that, about how well he feels he and Taj play together out there on the floor.”
Tristan Thompson is glad to be back with the Cavaliers, but does maintain that he was prepared to miss regular season time if a contract agreement had not been reached, Chris Fedor of The Northeast Ohio Media Group relays. “I love playing basketball,” Thompson said. “That’s my love, that’s my passion. But with this business it comes with a business side of it. For me, that’s how I approach it. Business is business and my approach is if a deal gets done before the season that’s great, but if not then so be it. I’m not a rookie no more. I’m a veteran. It’s not something to take lightly. It’s a serious matter.“

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Cavs Waive Quinn Cook, Keep Jared Cunningham

October 24th, 2015 at 4:39pm CST by Eddie Scarito

4:39pm: The Cavs have announced that Cook has been waived.

12:34pm: The Cavaliers will waive point guard Quinn Cook, Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group reports (via Twitter). Cook’s minimum salary deal was non-guaranteed, so Cleveland won’t be responsible for any money as a result of parting ways with the player.

Cook, 22, went undrafted out of Duke this year after averaging 15.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.6 assists as a senior, His career NCAA numbers are 11.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.1 assists to go along with a shooting line of .432/.375/.853.

The subtraction of Cook lowers Cleveland’s roster count to 15 players, and means that Jared Cunningham, who is also in camp on a non-guaranteed arrangement, will make the regular season roster, Haynes notes. That’s somewhat of a surprise, since it previously appeared that the Cavs were likely to carry only 14 players for the start of the regular season. That was before Tristan Thompson re-signed, however. Cleveland is in line to pay an extra $20,895 in taxes plus $5,572 in salary to Cunningham for each day he remains on the roster, though Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal suggests he won’t be around past the point in January when his minimum salary would become fully guaranteed for the season (Twitter link).

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Cavs Waive Cooley, Christmas, Daye, Stephens

October 23rd, 2015 at 3:01pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Cavs have released Jack Cooley, Dionte Christmas, Austin Daye and D.J. Stephens, the team announced. All were with the team on non-guaranteed deals. The moves leave Cleveland with 16 players, 14 of whom have full guarantees. Shooting guard and preseason sensation Jared Cunningham along with former Duke point guard Quinn Cook are the remaining non-guaranteed Cavs, though he Cavaliers have reportedly been planning to carry only 14 players for opening night.

Cooley, 24, was a late addition to the Cavs preseason roster after the Jazz cut him loose earlier this month. Cleveland signed him in part to compensate for the absence of Tristan Thompson, as Jake Fischer of SI Now tweeted, but with Thompson finally having re-signed this week, it’s no surprise to see Cooley go, in spite of his impressive rebounding. The big man averaged 4.5 points and 8.0 rebounds in just 12.1 minutes per game over two preseason appearances with the Cavs.

Christmas also signed after the preseason had already begun. The 29-year-old shooting guard nonetheless saw plenty of playing time, averaging 6.8 points in 19.9 minutes per game over four contests.

Daye agreed to join the Cavs last month in an effort to refresh a flagging NBA career. The 27-year-old former 15th overall pick averaged 5.0 points in 11.9 minutes per game in six preseason appearances.

Zach Links of Hoops Rumors reported in early September that Stephens would sign with the Cavs. The high-flying 24-year-old swingman put up 3.3 points in 7.3 minutes per game during his four preseason contests.

Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround 10/22/15

October 22nd, 2015 at 11:00pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The contract impasse between the Cavaliers and restricted free agent power forward Tristan Thompson has ended with the two sides signing a five-year, $82MM deal earlier today. This new pact will make Thompson the sixth highest paid power forward in the league behind Kevin Love, LaMarcus Aldridge, Blake Griffin, Paul Millsap, and David Lee. It’s certainly debatable whether or not Thompson is worthy of being compensated at this level, especially given the luxury tax hit that will be tacked on. Thompson’s numbers through 306 career NBA contests are 10.1 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 0.7 blocks to accompany a slash line of .488/.000/.633.

Which brings me to the topic for today: Is Tristan Thompson worth the amount of his new five-year, $82MM deal?

While Thompson is certainly a talented player whose full potential has yet to be tapped, he hasn’t demonstrated the ability to be more than an upper-tier role-player thus far in his career, which makes this deal a bit difficult to swallow from my perspective. But Cleveland does receive a secondary benefit beyond keeping Thompson in its rotation for the next five years, seeing as how LeBron James, who shares the same agent with Thompson, wanted the young power forward back with the team. Since LeBron can hit free agency after this season, keeping the superstar happy certainly is in the team’s best interests.

But what say you? Is Thompson worth Cleveland making this deal, and absorbing an even higher luxury tax penalty as a result? What numbers would Thompson need to produce to give the team its money’s worth? Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions. We look forward to what you have to say.

Fallout From/Reaction To Tristan Thompson Deal

October 22nd, 2015 at 3:46pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Cavs began with an offer to Tristan Thompson that was about $70MM and only moved up to $80MM roughly six weeks ago, Terry Pluto of the Plain Dealer hears. Reports that they were close to an $80MM deal on the first day of free agency were off-base, according to Pluto, who recounts the motivations for all parties involved, including the promise that Dan Gilbert made to LeBron James that he would spent to help the team win.

Here’s more regarding Thompson and the Cavs:

Cleveland slightly increased its offer in the days leading up to the deal, a source told Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal.
Neither side in the Thompson negotiations came out a clear winner as both player and team stand to reap value from the deal, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com.
DeMarcus Cousins appeared to criticize Cleveland’s outlay, taking to Twitter with the message “How much???,” a public statement that was “thoroughly foolish” and “thoroughly revealing” as labor negotiations between owners and the players union loom, McMenamin argues in the same piece.
Thompson’s new deal illustrates just how willing Gilbert and the Cavaliers organization is to spend money in pursuit of an NBA title, Chris Haynes of The Northeast Ohio Media Group writes.
With a new labor agreement on the horizon in 2017, there is an excellent chance that Cleveland will have the opportunity to waive Thompson via the amnesty provision if his contract turns out to be an albatross, writes Tom Ziller of SBNation. Ziller notes that amnesty clauses are generally a part of new labor agreements, which would provide the team a means to clear Thompson’s cap hit off its books, though it would still be responsible for any remaining salary owed to the power forward.
Keeping James happy played a large role in the Cavs signing Thompson, which is an added benefit to retaining the young big man, since James has the ability to opt out of his deal after the season is completed, Ken Berger of CBSSports.com writes.

Cavs Re-Sign Tristan Thompson

October 22nd, 2015 at 2:02pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

2:02pm: The deal is official, the Cavs announced.

THURSDAY, 1:41pm: Thompson has put pen to paper on his contract, Haynes tweets. The Cavs have yet to acknowledge the signing publicly.

WEDNESDAY, 5:58pm: The Cavaliers and restricted free agent power forward Tristan Thompson have reached an agreement on a five-year, $82MM deal, Chris Haynes of The Northeast Ohio Media Group reports (Twitter link). Rich Paul, Thompson’s agent, has confirmed the agreement with the Cavs to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link), who also notes that the pact is fully guaranteed. The arrangement includes no options, Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com tweets.

This news comes as a bit of a surprise, seeing how the two sides reportedly haven’t been in contact with each other since Thompson let the Cavaliers’ qualifying offer expire at the beginning of October. Cleveland held the upper hand in these negotiations since Thompson’s choices were limited to signing a long term deal with the Cavs, signing an offer sheet with another team, or continuing to sit out. March 1st would have been the last day for him to sign an offer sheet this season, if the drama dragged on that long, and if he held out all season, Cleveland would have had the chance to issue another qualifying offer to renew his restricted free agency next July.

It had appeared on the opening day of free agency that the sides were close on a five-year, $80MM deal, but the power forward instead had reportedly sought the max of around $94MM over five years, though Thompson was later said to prefer a three-year max contract, something that Cleveland had little interest in agreeing to. The full value of a three-year max for Thompson would have been worth precisely $52,914,188. Tim Bontemps of The New York Post had predicted that Thompson would end up re-signing for five years and $85MM, a number not far off the amount reported by Haynes.

The 24-year-old will become the sixth highest paid power forward in the league behind Kevin Love, LaMarcus Aldridge, Blake Griffin, Paul Millsap, and David Lee. It’s debatable whether or not Thompson is worth being compensated at this level, especially given the luxury tax hit that will be tacked on. Thompson’s numbers through 306 career NBA contests are 10.1 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 0.7 blocks to accompany a slash line of .488/.000/.633.

The Cavaliers currently possess a roster count of 20 players, including 13 with fully guaranteed contracts, which is the preseason maximum, so a corresponding move will need to be made prior to Thompson’s deal becoming official.

Cavs Waive Nick Minnerath

October 22nd, 2015 at 2:01pm CST by Chuck Myron

2:01pm: The move is official, the team announced.

1:01pm: The Cavs will waive combo forward Nick Minnerath to make room for Tristan Thompson, reports Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group and the Cleveland Plain Dealer (Twitter link). The team is at the 20-man roster maximum and can’t officially re-sign Thompson until it releases someone, and it looks like Minnerath is the one to go. The 26-year-old who went undrafted out of the University of Detroit Mercy in 2013 joined the Cavs last month on a non-guaranteed deal.

Minnerath averaged 2.7 points in 9.8 minutes per game over three preseason appearances for Cleveland. He spent the first two seasons of his pro career playing in France and Spain, though he had brushes with the NBA during summer league in 2013 and 2014. He’ll next play for the D-League affiliate of the Cavs assuming he clears waivers, Haynes writes in a full story, so it looks like the Cavs will make him one of the four camp cuts whose D-League rights they’re allowed to claim.

Cleveland plans to keep its roster at the 20-man preseason maximum as long as possible, as Haynes reported last week, which means the Cavs probably won’t make extensive cuts until Saturday, the last day for teams to waive summer contracts without them counting against the cap. The Cavs had been planning to carry only 14 players on opening night, as Haynes also reported prior to the Thompson deal, so that puts the non-guaranteed contracts of Dionte Christmas, Quinn Cook, Jack Cooley, Jared Cunningham, Austin Daye and D.J. Stephens in jeopardy.

How Tristan Thompson Deal Affects Cavs Tax Bill

October 22nd, 2015 at 10:59am CST by Chuck Myron

Courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

The Cavaliers finally struck a deal to sign Tristan Thompson on Wednesday night when the sides reached agreement on a five-year, $82MM arrangement, as Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group and the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported. The precise value of the contract is still unknown, but Thompson will draw a salary of $14.2MM this season, a source told Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today (Twitter link). [UPDATE, 4:00pm: The precise value of this season’s salary for Thompson, who has officially re-signed, is $14,260,870, reports Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). So, we’ve revised the numbers you see below accordingly.] That’s the key figure in what likely proved a stumbling block as negotiations dragged on for months: the luxury tax.

The Cavaliers already had a payroll well above the $84.74MM tax threshold before coming to terms with Thompson, and signing him means Cleveland is in line to shell out a total that’s second only to the $190MM-plus the Nets paid in taxes and salary during the 2013/14 season. The league makes its tax calculations according to payrolls on the final day of the regular season, so it’s still too early to determine exactly how much the Cavs will pay. However, the $14,260,870 figure for Thompson shows the sort of financial straits the Cavs are getting themselves into.

Cleveland was a taxpayer this past season, but the team is not in line for repeat-offender penalties, which kick in when a team pays the tax in at least three years out of the previous four. That’s a saving grace, but the Cavs will still be paying plenty. Their existing amount of guaranteed salary, before Thompson, was $94,907,206, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders. All of it was committed to the 13 Cavaliers aside from Thompson who have fully guaranteed salaries this season, since the Cavs aren’t carrying any partial guarantees. Adding $14,260,870 to that figure would bring it to $109,168,076, or $24,428,076 more than the tax line.

That number reflects the team’s salary as it relates to the cap, but the tax incorporates other calculations. Any Cavs player who triggers an incentive clause in his contract that the league deems they’re unlikely to achieve would make the number rise accordingly for tax purposes. Conversely, if any of the Cavs fail to meet likely incentives, the team’s tax number would go down. The tax also treats all minimum-salary contracts equally, except for players whom teams signed as draft picks. That makes Joe Harris, last year’s 33rd overall pick, cheaper for the Cavs than most other players on minimum-salary contracts would be. His $845,059 one-year veteran’s minimum salary, which is fully guaranteed, is reflected on the team’s payroll as just that. If the Cavs were to keep Jack Cooley on his $845,059 one-year veteran’s minimum contract for the entire season, it would show up at $947,276 when the league adds up Cleveland’s payroll at season’s end.

The estimated $109,168,076 payroll figure for Cleveland, which includes Thompson, entails a roster of 14 players, one shy of the regular season maximum. Most teams carry 15 on opening night, and almost every team has a 15th player at some point during the year. Teams usually make at least slight changes to their personnel over the course of the season, so it’s a stretch to assume that Thompson and the 13 other fully guaranteed players will constitute the Cavs roster by season’s end. However, here’s how the league would tax the Cavs in the event that $109,168,076 figure holds:

Cleveland would first have to pay a $7.5MM penalty for exceeding the tax line by at least $4,999,999.
Penalties of $8.75MM, $12.5MM and $16.25MM would follow, since the team would also burst through the next three tax brackets.
The Cavs would have to pay $3.75 for every dollar they spent above $20MM. Since the Cavs would be $24,367,206 above the tax threshold, they would pay $4,428,076 times $3.75, or $16,605,285.
Add $16,605,285 to $7.5MM, $8.75MM, $12.5MM and $16.25MM, and you get a total tax bill of $61,605,285.

This scenario would mean a payout of $170,773,361 in salary and taxes. Again, that’s an estimate, since the Cavs are bound to make roster changes between now and the end of the season and incentives clauses could come into play. Still, it demonstrates the kind of financial commitment that owner Dan Gilbert is making. Cleveland’s first pro championship since 1964 would carry tremendous psychological value to the city’s sports fans, and for Cavs ownership, the prospect of delivering that title is apparently worth plenty in actual value, too.

Load More Posts