Cavaliers Notes: Hill, Hood, Clarkson, Nance
The four players the Cavaliers acquired at the trade deadline understand that they’re now teammates with the NBA’s version of a superhero in LeBron James, writes Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com.“He’s the Batman and we gotta be all Robins,” George Hill said at practice today.
They’ve all played against James plenty of times before, but none more intensely than Hill, whose Pacers battled the Heat in the Eastern Conference finals in both 2013 and 2014. Rodney Hood attended LeBron’s summer Skills Academy in Las Vegas in 2012 and another of his training camps before then. “He’s the best player of our generation and I’ve been a big fan of his since I went to his camp when I was in high school,” Hood said. “To get a chance to play with him and learn from him I think will be great for me.”
Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr. already had the experience of playing with a larger-than-life figure as teammates of Kobe Bryant in Los Angeles. They’re both looking forward to being in a similar situation. “That first year with Kob was unbelievable, getting to travel around that locker room, his fan base was insane,” Nance said. “This is going to be a whole ‘nother beast in itself. I’m anxious, I’m excited and I think I’m ready.”
There’s more today from Cleveland:
- The four new players will make their Cavaliers debut tomorrow in Boston, but Hill will be the only one to start, Vardon relays in a separate story. Coach Tyronn Lue plans to use Hood, Clarkson and Nance in reserve roles and promises they will all see playing time. “I mean, they don’t know the plays yet,” Lue said. “So it’s going to be tough tomorrow with George starting because you can’t really run a lot of stuff. Just run some pick-and-rolls. But just having him on the floor will be good. He’s a veteran so he can understand the flow of the game and then once we get our plays down and defensively what we want to do, then you could see a lineup change.”
- The Cavaliers took an obvious gamble in the deal that bought Clarkson and Nance from the Lakers, notes Andrew Sharp of Sports Illustrated. Cleveland helped L.A. clear cap room that may be used to pursue James this summer and sent the Lakers a first-round pick as well. However, Sharp adds that Isaiah Thomas was such a poor fit and a disruptive influence with the Cavs that he had to be sent somewhere.
- The front office would have been inviting James to leave in free agency this summer if it hadn’t shaken up the team, adds Bud Shaw of Cleveland.com. It’s hard to say how much the Cavaliers improved their chances of keeping him, Shaw adds, but the franchise is now in better shape for the present and future.
Cavaliers Notes: Deadline Deals, Wade, LeBron
No NBA team overhauled its roster at the trade deadline more drastically than the Cavaliers, who shipped out six current or former rotation players: Isaiah Thomas, Derrick Rose, Dwyane Wade, Jae Crowder, Iman Shumpert, and Channing Frye.
According to general manager Koby Altman, all those deadline deals were as much about repairing the culture in Cleveland as they were about seeking better on-court results. “We were really worried that what was going on on the floor and sort of our culture in the building that we were marching a slow death and we didn’t want to be a part of that,” Altman said on Thursday, per Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com.
Acknowledging that the veteran players acquired in last summer’s Kyrie Irving trade never really fit in Cleveland, Altman said that those pieces still had enough value to allow the team to go out and acquire players it liked. Altman also hopes Thursday’s deals will re-energize his star player, LeBron James, who has been visibly frustrated this season.
“I don’t want to say he didn’t believe in this group and want to be careful in saying that because he’s going to compete every night and try to get whatever teams he’s on to the Finals,” Altman said of James, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “But I wanted to see a renewed sense of joy in him, and being around him the last 24 hours has been great.”
Here’s more from out of Cleveland:
- Here’s Altman on the motivation behind the Wade trade with the Heat, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com: “As I started to get closer to deals to bring back youthful wings that I wanted to see play right away, I realized that this was going to be a role for Wade where minutes are going to be reduced, and reduced, and reduced. … I said, ‘Is this fair for Dwyane? Is this something that he signed up for?’ And so, we explored that with Miami. I wanted to make sure that I talked to LeBron about that. Because Dwyane did come in large part because of LeBron, and because of the situation here. And we wanted to give Dwyane the option. ‘Do you want to be a part of this? No one’s telling you that you have to go by any means, but, we want to give you a chance to go home.’ I think he and his representation were very, very appreciative of that.”
- While LeBron hasn’t spoken publicly about the Cavs’ deadline deals, multiple reports suggest that he’s on board with the moves. One league source called the moves “win-win” in terms of competing now and constructing a roster built for long-term success, per Vardon. Meanwhile, Sam Amick of USA Today writes that the “behind-the-scenes reaction from James’ inner circle was a resounding thumbs-up.”
- LeBron didn’t commit to the Cavs beyond this year before the team completed its series of moves, according to Vardon, who adds that Altman and owner Dan Gilbert didn’t ask the four-time MVP for that sort of commitment.
- One league executive who spoke to Sean Deveney of The Sporting News believes the Cavs significantly improved their chances of re-signing James this offseason as a result of their deadline-day trades. “Even if they don’t win this year, they’ve given themselves room to grow,” that exec told Deveney.
- ESPN’s Zach Lowe takes an in-depth look at the Cavaliers’ deadline, and is generally in favor of the team’s moves, questioning only the decision to give up a first-round pick while taking on Jordan Clarkson in the swap with the Lakers. Citing league sources, Lowe also notes that the Cavs wouldn’t have been able to acquire Avery Bradley from the Clippers without surrendering a first-round pick.
Cavs Notes: Thomas, Osman, LeBron, Gilbert
Since returning from the hip injury that sidelined him for most of the first half of the 2017/18 season, Isaiah Thomas hasn’t looked like his old self. His .361 FG% and .253 3PT% are easily career lows, and his average of 14.7 PPG is way down from the 28.9 PPG he put up last season in Boston.
Thomas’ play – as well as his expiring contract – has Cleveland writers like Terry Pluto of Cleveland.com openly wondering if the Cavs should trade the veteran point guard. At the very least, the team needs to consider it, Pluto argues. For his part, Thomas said after Wednesday’s game that he hopes the Cavs don’t consider it too seriously, as Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com details.
“I’m tired of being traded,” Thomas said. “That’s not a good thing, but, I just want to be where I’m wanted. I like it here. It hasn’t been as planned, but I definitely want to be here. We definitely have a real chance to win an NBA championship and I want to be a part of that.”
Here’s more out of Cleveland:
- After a bad loss to the Magic earlier this week, Isaiah Thomas told reporters that “when we hit adversity, we go our separate ways.” It’s fair to question whether Thomas – who has played all of 15 games with the Cavs – should be the one to say it, but he’s right, opines Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.
- Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue has been given some freedom to give more minutes to certain players after the trade deadline, and Cedi Osman looks like a candidate to be one of those players, according to Joe Vardon.
- A report earlier this week stated that the relationship between LeBron James and owner Dan Gilbert is essentially non-existent. According to Terry Pluto, the two men really need to sit down and talk to make an effort to help stabilize the Cavaliers.
- Speaking of LeBron, he had to come out earlier this week and publicly declare that he won’t waive his no-trade clause. Even in the unlikely event that he’d been willing to do so, it would have been very difficult for the Cavaliers to find a deal that worked for James and both teams involved, says Bobby Marks of ESPN. In a fun exercise, Marks runs through the various possibilities in search of an ideal LeBron trade.
- As we relayed in a separate story, the Cavaliers remain engaged in discussions with the Clippers about a possible DeAndre Jordan trade.
LeBron James Won’t Waive No-Trade Clause
FEBRUARY 7, 7:31am: Following a Tuesday loss to Orlando that one Cavs player referred to as “a new low,” James publicly discussed his no-trade clause, confirming that he has no plans to waive it, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com.
“I’m here for the long haul,” James said. “I’m here for this season right now, [to] try to figure out ways we can still compete. I couldn’t give up on my teammates like that. I couldn’t do that. I just couldn’t do it. We put too much into the game every single day. We go out and prepare. Win, lose or draw, at the end of the day, we’re all brothers, and we understand that. I owe it to my teammates to finish this season out no matter how it ends up. I would never waive my no-trade clause.”
FEBRUARY 6, 11:37am: As disastrous as the situation in Cleveland has been lately, the Cavaliers remain the third-seeded team in the Eastern Conference, making it extremely unlikely that the front office would consider the idea of trading LeBron James before this week’s deadline. But even if the Cavs did entertain the thought, a deal wouldn’t be possible, according to Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports.
Sources tell Charania that teams around the NBA are doing their due diligence on James’ situation and his no-trade clause in an attempt to determine if a trade would be remotely plausible. However, LeBron is “determined” to see the season through in Cleveland, and won’t waive that no-trade clause, Charania reports.
While there are several NBA players who have the ability to block trades this season, only three – James, Dirk Nowitzki, and Carmelo Anthony – have explicit no-trade clauses included in their respective contracts. Anthony waived his no-trade clause back in the fall when the Knicks worked out a deal to send him to the Thunder, but James has no plans to follow suit.
The NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement allows a team to include a no-trade clause in a player’s contract if that player has spent at least eight years in the NBA and four with his current team. Those four years don’t have to be consecutive, which is why James was eligible for a no-trade clause in his most recent deal, despite having only been back in Cleveland for two years at that point.
The subject of James’ no-trade clause also came up back in July after Kyrie Irving‘s trade request surfaced and there was some speculation that the Cavs might want to launch into full-fledged rebuilding mode. As is the case now, LeBron was said at the time to be unwilling to waive his no-trade clause.
Cavaliers Notes: James, Altman, Gilbert, Irving
The Cavaliers have struggled for the better part of 2017/18 and while they do, tensions continue to mount between LeBron James and the franchise’s management, Jason Lloyd of The Athletic writes.
Even before the club’s moribund loss to the Magic on Tuesday, Lloyd pulled the curtain back on the NBA’s most dysfunctional family in the days leading up to the trade deadline.
Here are some highlights lowlights from the worthwhile read:
- The root of the Cavs’ problems, Lloyd says, can be traced back to two key issues that unfolded during the offseason. First and foremost, the club’s decision to part ways with woefully underpaid general manager David Griffin, and secondly, the Kyrie Irving trade that shook the foundation of the roster.
- While James was vocal about his support for Griffin, team owner Dan Gilbert ultimately gave the job to young, in-house executive Koby Altman. Altman, Lloyd claims, is widely regarded as not ready for the task ahead of him.
- The Griffin decision wasn’t the only time the Cavs went against James’ wishes during the offseason. They opted to sign draft-and-stash prospect Cedi Osman rather than pursue James’ preferred target, veteran Jamal Crawford.
- One of the most substantial moves the Cavs made was to deal Irving after his trade request, fearing that his value would decrease if they waited closer to when he hit free agency (in the summer of 2019). James was convinced that he could mend his relationship with the young point guard if only the club held on to him long enough to go through training camp with the team.
- According to Lloyd, James essentially has no relationship with either Gilbert or Altman. Griffin would often consult with LeBron and keep him apprised of major roster decisions, but that’s no longer happening — James was informed of the Irving trade about 20 minutes before word of the agreement leaked.
- Multiple sources confirmed to Lloyd that James “cursed toward at least two team executives” during the now-infamous team meeting that began with players questioning Kevin Love‘s absence from a practice.
Lakers’ Free Agency Focus Shifting To 2019?
The Lakers are recalibrating their free agency focus, according to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne and Adrian Wojnarowski, who report that the L.A. front office is “looking through a longer lens” as it explores ways to upgrade the roster. Although the Lakers would still like to make a big splash in free agency, they may now be prioritizing the 2019 class over this summer’s group, per Shelburne and Wojnarowski.
Ever since Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka assumed control of personnel decisions in Los Angeles, the team’s desire to pursue free agents in 2018 has been no secret. During the 2017 offseason, the Lakers limited themselves to one-year deals for free agents so as not to cut into their potential cap room for the 2018/19 season.
However, as Shelburne and Wojnarowski detail, there’s still no guarantee that the Lakers will have enough cap space for two maximum-salary free agents this summer, and even if they do, no star players are viewed as locks to head west. The Pelicans are considered the frontrunners for DeMarcus Cousins, who is sidelined with an Achilles injury, while Paul George has hinted recently that he’s leaning toward sticking with the Thunder. And according to Shelburne and Woj, LeBron James is believed to be hesitant about the idea of joining the Lakers without another established star joining him.
The Lakers haven’t ruled out the possibility of landing a big-name player this July, but shifting their focus to the summer of 2019 would reduce the urgency to clear cap room right away. It would also give L.A.’s young prospects more time to develop into the type of players that would attract veteran stars. The 2019 free agent class includes several intriguing potential targets, with Kawhi Leonard, Klay Thompson, and Jimmy Butler among the players expected to be up for new contracts.
While the Lakers could still end up moving players like Jordan Clarkson or Julius Randle this week in an effort to create more flexibility for July 2018, one league source suggested to Shelburne and Wojnarowski that the odds of a meaningful deal are “50-50 at best.” The Lakers have received some offers for Clarkson and Randle, but none of those offers would create significant cap space going forward and give them the sort of draft picks they’re seeking, sources tell ESPN.
Cavs Rumors: Nets Pick, Thompson, J.R. Smith
Most teams in the Cavaliers’ situation would do all they can to improve this year’s roster in an effort to make a deep playoff run and convince their free-agent-to-be star to stick around, even if that means putting the Nets’ 2018 first-round pick on the table in trade talks, Sam Amick of USA Today writes.
However, there’s a growing narrative that owner Dan Gilbert – perhaps due to emotional baggage related to LeBron James‘ 2010 departure – is prepared to keep that pick even if it means losing James this summer, according to Amick, who suggests that Gilbert “wants his team back.”
Within his USA Today report, Amick provides a few more Cavs-related tidbits, writing that the team is trying to shed the Tristan Thompson and J.R. Smith contracts. The Cavs have also not offered more than their own 2018 first-round pick and unwanted salary to the Clippers for DeAndre Jordan, says Amick. That’s not surprising, as we heard earlier today that Jordan isn’t the type of player for whom the Cavs would surrender the Nets’ pick.
Here’s more out of Cleveland:
- The Cavs currently sit just five games ahead of the ninth-seeded Pistons in the East, closer to missing the playoffs than they are to the No. 1 seed. Still, the idea of somehow falling out of the playoff picture isn’t one head coach Tyronn Lue is willing to entertain — Lue says there’s “no doubt” the Cavs will make the postseason, as Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com relays.
- In an Insider-only piece for ESPN.com, Bobby Marks takes a closer look at the Cavaliers’ trade deadline options, noting that adding salary will be tricky due to repeater tax concerns.
- At Cleveland.com, Vardon also discusses the Cavs’ luxury tax problems, suggesting that if LeBron James leaves as a free agent this summer, Dan Gilbert will want to make sure that team salary gets out of tax territory. According to Vardon, league sources also believe that Cleveland would try to trade Kevin Love if James leaves, though no team sources confirmed that.
- Seth Walder of ESPN.com makes the case that the Nets’ 2018 first-round pick is actually a little more valuable than people think, even though it probably won’t land as high as Brooklyn’s last couple first-rounders have.
- Appearing recently on NBA TV’s The Starters, former Cavs GM David Griffin dismissed the notion that LeBron James wants to be heavily involved in personnel decisions for the franchise, as Dane Carbaugh of NBC Sports writes.
Cavaliers Notes: James, Gilbert, Trade Market, Love
The root of the Cavaliers’ problems lies in an adversarial relationship between LeBron James and owner Dan Gilbert, writes Brian Windhorst of ESPN. James has grown frustrated while watching star players change teams over the last eight months, with none of them coming to Cleveland. Cavs management counters that it lost $18MM last season because it paid $25MM in luxury taxes and points out that its bargaining position would be much stronger if James would commit to the franchise beyond this season.
Gilbert went through a difficult rebuilding process when James left Cleveland for Miami in 2010 and doesn’t want to repeat that experience. The team could announce to the league that Brooklyn’s unprotected first-rounder is available if James agrees to re-sign, but he is committed to keeping his options open. Meanwhile, the relationship between James and Gilbert is getting worse, and it’s showing up in the Cavaliers’ performance on the court.
There’s more today out of Cleveland:
- None of the players currently available on the trade market could turn things around in Cleveland, contends Jason Lloyd of The Athletic. Clippers center DeAndre Jordan would provide a much-needed defensive presence in the middle, but Lloyd doesn’t see him as a franchise player. Kings guard George Hill, whom the Cavaliers have also been linked to, would barely move the needle in the playoff race. Cleveland missed opportunities at major deals when Paul George, Jimmy Butler, Carmelo Anthony and others wound up elsewhere, and Lloyd believes it’s probably too late to save this season. After Saturday’s loss, James refused to comment on possible roster moves. “That’s not a question for me,” he said. “I show up to work every day. I bust my tail every day. I’m one of the first ones to get to the gym and I’m one of the last ones to leave. I do my part. I control what I can control and that is what I can control.”
- The Cavs are suffering from a lack of locker-room leadership, Lloyd adds in the same story. In the past, that was provided by James Jones, Richard Jefferson and Channing Frye, but Jones retired, Jefferson was traded and Frye has lost influence as his playing time decreased.
- Kevin Love plans to remain as active as possible while he’s sidelined for eight weeks with a broken bone in his left hand, relays Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com. “Obviously I can’t use my left arm as much as I would like to but I’ll still be able to do some ball handling on the court and be dominant with my right hand quite a bit, but keep my legs underneath me for when I do get back,” he said. “It will be very meaningful to get back as quickly as I can. … I’m not rushing it but when the doctors say I’m good to go I’ll be able to get out there.”
LeBron James Calls Warriors Rumor ‘Nonsense’
Asked today about a report that suggested he’d be open to talking to the Warriors as a free agent this offseason, LeBron James dismissed the rumor, calling it “nonsense,” according to Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com.
“It’s nonsense, and it’s a non-story,” James told reporters, including Vardon. “I think it’s a discredit to what I’m trying to do here. It’s a discredit to my teammates and the coaching staff here. … My only focus right now is trying to figure out how we can become a championship-caliber team in these next few months.”
As I noted on Thursday when we relayed the ESPN report, the notion that James would be open to talking to the Warriors isn’t outrageous, but it does seem pretty far-fetched that he would ever seriously consider joining his Western Conference rivals. According to Vardon, James has confided to people close to him that he would never join the Dubs, recognizing the negative impact it would have on his legacy.
After telling reporters today that he never said he would sit down with the Warriors or any other team in free agency, James cautioned against buying into rumors on his free agency that don’t come directly from him.
“I’m here, I’m right here, I’m right now and this is my present and this is where I’m at,” James said of Cleveland and the Cavs. “If you don’t hear something coming from my voice, then it’s not true. I don’t give a damn how close they are, I don’t care if it’s my kids, or my wife or whatever. If it’s not from me, it’s not true, so.”
While James’ vociferous denials are convincing, Haynes is a very good reporter and wouldn’t run a story of this magnitude without solid sources, so it’s worth considering why it surfaced at this point — and who might have leaked it. The Ringer’s Bill Simmons tweeted out one theory on Thursday.
LeBron James Open To Talking To Warriors In Free Agency
If the Warriors could make a maximum salary contract work within the NBA’s cap rules, LeBron James would be open to meeting with the team as a free agent this summer, according to Chris Haynes of ESPN. Haynes cautions that there’s no indication at this point that Golden State is exploring ways to land James, but suggests that the four-time MVP would listen to a Warriors pitch out of respect for the team’s “winning culture.”
As Haynes observes, James and his business team are known to “covet structure,” and the Warriors’ management group – from head coach Steve Kerr to GM Bob Myers to Joe Lacob‘s ownership group – epitomize that sort of structure. It also goes without saying that no other NBA team would provide a better opportunity to win multiple more titles over the next few years.
While no one knows where James will end up playing in 2018/19, the idea that he would make the leap to his already-stacked rivals in the Bay Area seems awfully far-fetched. Of course, the thought of Kevin Durant doing the same seemed just as unbelievable when those rumors first started surfacing two years ago.
Still, as ESPN’s Bobby Marks notes (via Twitter), the summer of 2016 posed a unique opportunity for the Warriors to create maximum salary space due to an unprecedented cap spike and the fact that Stephen Curry was still on a very team-friendly contract. Creating a path for James to get to Golden State this offseason wouldn’t be nearly as simple.
Within his article, Haynes suggests that a sign-and-trade deal, perhaps built around Klay Thompson and Andre Iguodala, would be the most realistic scenario to get James to the Warriors. However, even that would be a challenge, since Durant would have to take another discount and the club would likely need to move Shaun Livingston, filling its bench with minimum salary players.
In Marks’ view (Twitter links), the only realistic scenario would be having James go the Chris Paul route, exercising his player option for 2018/19. That way, Durant’s free agency wouldn’t be affected and the Warriors wouldn’t be hard-capped as a result of completing a sign-and-trade. LeBron would also be in line to earn the same amount in ’18/19 that he’s expected to on a new contract, and he could sign an extension six months later that could essentially mirror a free agent deal (Twitter link via Marks).
I suspect any debate over the cap machinations of such a deal will ultimately be moot. While Haynes’ report confirms that James isn’t ruling out Golden State out of hand, the odds of LeBron ever donning a Warriors uniform still seem very low.