Cavs Rumors: Love, Andersen, Irving, Miller
Cleveland has had nothing to complain about so far this offseason, landing the first overall selection in the draft, securing Kyrie Irving to a long-term deal, and signing the league’s best player in LeBron James. Let’s have a look at the latest from the Cavs’ camp..
- Kevin Love is “intrigued” by the notion of being traded to the Cavs, a source tells Marc Stein of ESPN.com, in a report that confirms the All-Star would still be willing to re-sign in Cleveland now that LeBron will be present.
- The Cavs have been in contact with Chris Andersen‘s agent, but haven’t entered into serious talks yet, reports Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio. Amico adds that the Heat are determined to keep the big man from landing in Cleveland.
- Irving holds an early termination option for the fifth year on the max extension he recently inked with the Cavs, and the deal will also include a 15% trade kicker, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
- Talks between the Cavs and Mike Miller are not yet imminent, but Cleveland is Miller’s top choice, hears Amico (Twitter links).
Cray Allred contributed to this post.
Hornets Acquire Scotty Hopson
1:23pm: The deal is official, Charlotte announced via press release, which also revealed the Hornets will receive some cash from the Cavs. The exact amount wasn’t disclosed, however.
1:12am: The Hornets will receive Scotty Hopson from the Cavaliers in a restructured version of a draft-night trade agreement between the clubs, reports Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal (Twitter link). Brendan Haywood and the rights to No. 45 overall pick Dwight Powell are headed to Cleveland, Lloyd adds, so Hopson is essentially replacing Alonzo Gee, who was in the original version of the agreement. The Cavs sent Gee to New Orleans on Friday in a separate trade. The net effect will likely be the same for the Hornets, since it appeared they were primarily seeking cap flexibility in the deal.
Hopson’s contract, like Gee’s, is non-guaranteed. The 24-year-old appeared in only two games for seven minutes during his brief Cavs tenure, and it’s his only NBA experience, having spent the rest of his pro career overseas. The Cavs signed him using their room exception this past March to a prorated deal for the waning days of 2013/14, with a non-guaranteed 2014/15 salary tacked on. It was something of a clumsy maneuver for the Cavs, since they could have signed a long-tenured veteran to the minimum salary and tacked on a greater non-guaranteed salary for 2014/15, thus giving themselves a more attractive trade asset. Using the room exception also forced the Cavs to give Hopson a significantly higher prorated salary for 2013/14 than they would have doled out if they’d signed him or someone else to the minimum salary.
Cavs GM David Griffin redeems himself with his acquisition of Haywood, whose unusual contract sets him up to become a valuable trade weapon next summer, as I explained. Powell, a power forward from Stanford, joins No. 33 overall pick Joe Harris among second-round picks vying for a roster spot with Cleveland this year.
Rockets Rumors: Parsons, Deng, Ariza, Pierce
After striking out on signing Chris Bosh, the Rockets are in scramble mode, writes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Houston might have some major rebuilding to do after shipping out Jeremy Lin in a cap-clearing move, and Omer Asik is still set to depart as soon as the Pelicans create room to finalize that separate agreement. Here’s the latest on Houston’s latest turbulence, including more from Feigen’s article:
- The Rockets have been in contact with free agent small forwards Luol Deng and Trevor Ariza, a sign that they are considering alternatives to matching the Mavs offer sheet signed by Chandler Parsons, writes Feigen. Houston was prepared to pay Parsons a max salary as a piece in a premier lineup featuring Bosh, but is less eager to do so now.
- Paul Pierce recently showed interest in joining the Rockets, although Feigen is unsure if that interest was contingent on Houston obtaining Bosh.
- The talks with Deng and Ariza were described as “advanced” by Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com (on Twitter). McMahon considers the development a good sign for Dallas’ hopes of acquiring Parsons, but notes that nothing is yet certain.
- However, Houston appears out of the running for Deng, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Stein says the Rockets are “still in the hunt” for Ariza.
- The Rockets have joined the Heat, Cavs, and Mavs in pursuit of Chris Andersen, tweets Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report.
- Earlier, we passed along news that the Rockets have reached a snag in contract negotiations with No. 25 pick Clint Capela.
And-Ones: Wizards, Trade Exceptions, Booker
The NBA issued a memo this week establishing that teams that trade coaches or other non-playing personnel are not allowed to make any other trades for one calendar year or until the coach or executive’s contract would have expired, whichever is earlier, notes Mark Deeks of ShamSports. The memo also issues guidelines that make it more difficult for teams to dump salary in trades, as Deeks explains.
More from around the league:
- Trade exceptions for four teams expired at the end of Thursday, the largest of which was one the Warriors held that was worth more than $9.8MM, as we noted earlier. The Clippers watched one worth more than $2.6MM expire, the Nuggets lost one worth nearly $2.4MM, and the Raptors saw one worth more than $1.2MM extinguished.
- The Wizards are waiting on Houston’s move in regards to Chandler Parsons offer sheet which will impact the Rockets‘ pursuit of free agent Trevor Ariza, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).
- The Wizards continue to push for a deal with Trevor Ariza, but he wants to hear from the Mavs before moving forward with Washington, TNT’s David Aldridge tweets.
- The Knicks have continued to show interest in Wizards free agent power forward Trevor Booker, tweets Marc Berman of the New York Post.
- The Cavaliers are in talks with free agent center Chris Andersen, tweets Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Mike Miller Halts Talks With Nuggets
10:11pm: The Grizzlies have informed Miller that the team will be going in another direction and won’t be bringing him back, Miller announced via his twitter account.
4:23pm: James reached out to Miller again today, and Cavs officials have done so, too, reports Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Miller continues to consider the Nuggets, Thunder and Grizzlies, Goodman adds.
FRIDAY, 3:37pm: Miller has stopped negotiations with the Nuggets and is “exploring every option” that would allow him to join James in Cleveland, with the Cavs reportedly having been in pursuit.
WEDNESDAY, 8:06pm: Free agent Mike Miller is close to agreeing on a deal with the Nuggets, a source tells Chris Broussard of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The Grizzlies, Cavs, Thunder, Rockets, and Blazers have all shown interest in signing the sharpshooter this offseason. Miller was preparing to decide on his destination early in free agency, but met with Denver in recent days after being underwhelmed by the Grizzlies offer to retain him.
The Cavs were the most recent team to chase Miller in the hopes of enticing LeBron James to sign in Cleveland. James had reportedly reached out to Miller to pitch a reunion between the two if James were to leave the Heat in the coming days. There has been no report of Miller’s eagerness to rejoin James, so this news doesn’t shed any light on LeBron’s looming decision.
Whatever deal Miller signs will net him salary in addition to most of the $6.6MM owed to him by Miami from his amnestied contract that runs through next season. A multi-year deal for the 34-year-old would add financial security for the oft-injured shooting guard, and his projected role could also be a significant factor as he chooses his next team. The Nuggets are widely considered the least title-ready team of the teams pursuing him.
Eastern Notes: Hairston, Bazemore, Heat
First-round draft pick P.J. Hairston told Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer that he had no idea his agent, Juan Morrow, wasn’t union-certified, as Kami Mattioli of The Sporting News reported Thursday. It’s unclear if the Hornets, who acquired Hairston in a draft-night trade with the Heat, engaged in negotiations with Morrow, but they’d be subject to a $50K fine if they did, as Mattioli notes.
More from out of the east:
- The Cavaliers pursuit of free agents Ray Allen and Mike Miller has intensified over the last few hours, reports Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio (Twitter link).
- Miller has a serious interest in joining the Cavaliers, reports Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today (Twitter link).
- The Bulls and Hornets are in pursuit of Kirk Hinrich, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).
- The Heat are engaged in discussions with free agents Trevor Ariza and Luol Deng for their job opening at small forward, tweets Wojnarowski.
- Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders tweets that the Hawks and the Hornets are showing serious interest in Kent Bazemore.
- There is a strong market for Heat free agent Chris Andersen, but he remains “very loyal” to the Miami organization, and hasn’t made a decision about where he’ll sign, reports David Aldridge of NBA.com (Twitter link).
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Latest On Kevin Love
6:16pm: Sources told Broussard that the Cavs made an offer of Dion Waiters, Anthony Bennett and a first-round pick for Love, but that framework is a no-go, Broussard writes.
3:49pm: The Cavs have told Wiggins he won’t be traded, but the Wolves continue to insist on his inclusion if they’re to give up Love, tweets Chris Broussard of ESPN.com, who says that the Cavs would have to bring a third team into the deal to find a workable solution.
2:36pm: The Warriors would be willing to trade David Lee, Harrison Barnes, Draymond Green and a future first-round pick in a deal that would net them Kevin Love, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities. Still, Klay Thompson remains off-limits, and the Warriors remain steadfastly against taking Kevin Martin in any such deal, Wolfson adds in a second tweet.
Golden State faces plenty of competition for the league’s top trade candidate. Love, who can hit free agency next year, is seemingly “100%” on board with the idea of staying in Cleveland long-term, should the Wolves deal him there, now that LeBron James is back with the Cavs, so Cleveland seems like a major player. Most reports have indicated that the Cavs wouldn’t give up No. 1 overall pick Andrew Wiggins to acquire Love, as the Wolves are demanding, but multiple executives from around the league told Ken Berger of CBSSports.com that they believe Wiggins will be in play in those talks, as we noted earlier.
Still, the Warriors maintain that they won’t give up Thompson even if the Cavs make a strong push for Love, a source tells Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group (Twitter link). Thompson is eligible for a rookie-scale extension this summer, and co-owner Joe Lacob has vowed to lock him up, though Lacob didn’t specify whether he envisions doing so via extension or next summer in restricted free agency.
Cavs Trade Alonzo Gee To Pelicans
4:46pm: The deal is official, the Cavs announce. Gee goes to the Pelicans, and Cleveland will get the Clippers’ 2016 second-round pick, which New Orleans acquired in a previous trade, protected through pick No. 55. If it doesn’t fall within the final five selections in 2016, the Pelicans don’t owe the Cavs anything.
4:36pm: The Cavs will still acquire No. 45 overall pick Dwight Powell from Charlotte as part of a reworked Haywood deal, reports Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer (Twitter link).
3:09pm: The Pelicans will waive Gee upon receiving him from the Cavs, according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (Twitter link).
2:57pm: The Cavs and Pelicans have struck agreement on a deal that sends Alonzo Gee to New Orleans, reports Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Marc Stein of ESPN.com first reported the teams were close to a deal, which nullifies the agreement that Cleveland had to send Gee to the Hornets for Brendan Haywood. Cleveland apparently still plans to acquire Haywood from Charlotte via other means, as Stein reported. A source also told Stein that Gee could wind up as part of the Pelicans’ deal with the Rockets to acquire Omer Asik,
Gee’s $3MM salary for this season is non-guaranteed, so it’s conceivable that the Pelicans envision waiving him to create the necessary cap flexibility to accommodate their deal for Asik, though that assumes New Orleans is giving up salary as part of the trade. The Cavs are reportedly still trying to clear room for a max contract for LeBron James, as Stein wrote earlier, and losing Gee, whose salary can be taken off the books, wouldn’t advance Cleveland toward that end unless other deals are in the works.
The 27-year-old Gee has been a part of the rotation for Cleveland for the better part of the last two seasons, and he started all 82 games in 2012/13. He mostly came off the bench this past season, averaging 4.0 points in 15.7 minutes per game.
LeBron Aftermath: Gilbert, Contract, Wade, Bosh
LeBron James, agent Rich Paul and adviser Maverick Carter met with Dan Gilbert for four hours in Miami last week, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Previously, it had been believed that James had only met in person with the Heat this month. It was a moment of mutual reconciliation, as Wojnarowski details.
“We had five great years together and one terrible night,” Gilbert said. “I told him how sorry I was, expressed regret for how that night went and how I let all the emotion and passion for situation carry me away. I told him I wish had never done it, that I wish I could take it back.”
James, later in the conversation, told Gilbert he wished he hadn’t put together “The Decision” television show, and soon the talk turned to the future. Here’s more on LeBron’s decision to head back to his native northeast Ohio:
- Even after meeting with Gilbert, James was still having trouble with the idea of going back to the Cavs in the wake of Gilbert’s scathing post-2010-decision letter, as USA Today’s Sam Amick details. James made up his mind Thursday that he would return to the Cavs, and worked with Sports Illustrated’s Lee Jenkins into the night on the story in which he revealed his choice, according to Amick.
- Contract terms have yet to be negotiated, but James is expected to make a long-term commitment to the Cavs, and Cleveland is expected to offer the max, reports Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com.
- James spoke with Heat owner Micky Arison and team president Pat Riley by phone Friday to inform them that he had decided to join the Cavs, but no one from the Cavs knew of his decision until he publicly revealed it via Sports Illustrated, as Windhorst writes in his piece.
- LeBron personally informed Dwyane Wade of his decision, but Chris Bosh, who’s traveling out of the country, heard the news through his agent, Windhorst tweets
Cavs, Pelicans Close To Alonzo Gee Deal
2:48pm: The Cavaliers have other means to acquire Haywood from the Hornets as planned, and it’s also possible that Gee winds up in the Pelicans’ deal with the Rockets for Asik, according to Stein (Twitter links).
2:13pm: The Cavs and Pelicans are close to a deal that would send Alonzo Gee to the Pelicans, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Stein casts it as part of an effort from Cleveland to clear max cap room for LeBron James, but it was believed that Cleveland already had max cap room for James, and that the Cavs had agreed to a deal that would send Gee to the Hornets. Additionally, sending Gee away wouldn’t create any extra cap flexibility, because his $3MM is non-guaranteed. Gee indeed isn’t part of the Haywood deal, Stein adds (Twitter link).
Gee makes sense as an acquisition for the Pelicans, who are also trying to clear cap room to facilitate their deal to acquire Omer Asik from the Rockets. Ostensibly, it seems they would be sending salary to Cleveland, so perhaps the Cavs are in other talks to clear salary, though that’s just my speculation.
New Orleans has reportedly considered waiving former No. 10 overall pick Austin Rivers to make room for Asik, but if the Pelicans acquire Gee and give up salary, they might be able to create the requisite cap room by waiving Gee instead.