The Cavaliers won’t be picking up their 2020/21 option on Ante Zizic‘s rookie scale contract, league sources tell Tim Bontemps of ESPN (Twitter link). The option would have been worth $3,872,215.
[RELATED: Decisions On 2020/21 Rookie Scale Team Options]
If Cleveland had exercised that fourth-year option, it would have put Zizic on track to become eligible for an extension during the 2020 offseason and restricted free agency during the summer of 2021.
Instead, he’ll become an unrestricted free agent next July. Assuming he finishes the season with the Cavs, they’ll be ineligible to offer him a starting salary higher than $3,872,215 on a new contract.
Zizic, 22, was part of the trade package that the Cavaliers received from the Celtics for Kyrie Irving during the summer of 2017. However, his contributions in Cleveland through two years have been modest. In 91 games, he averaged 6.4 PPG and 4.2 RPG in 14.2 minutes per contest. He has yet to make his 2019/20 debut due to a left foot injury.
Zizic, who is now on an expiring contract, has a $2,281,800 cap hit for the 2019/20 season.
I’m kind of surprised. They’ll have more cap room next offseason, but $3.9 million isn’t a ton and he’s been decent in limited minutes. I also doubt it would be in their best interest to use that cap room in free agency next offseason anyway.
I’m kinda surprised too, but thinking about it, the Cavs could find someone with similar production and pay that player the minimum or close to it.
Production-wise you’re probably right, but Zizic has more upside than the type of veteran that would probably sign for close to the minimum.
(Congrats on tonight too, by the way.)
Would have thought he was a lock to have his option exercised. They have never really given him significant minutes.