Cleveland Cavaliers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Cavaliers Sign Mitch Ballock To Camp Deal

September 8th, 2021 at 10:00pm CST by Luke Adams

10:00pm: The deal is official, per RealGM’s transactions log.

2:05pm: The Cavaliers are expected to sign undrafted rookie guard Mitch Ballock to a deal for training camp, sources tell our JD Shaw (Twitter link). It will likely to be an Exhibit 10 deal.

Ballock, 23, played his college ball at Creighton from 2017-21. As a senior in 2020/21, he averaged 9.9 PPG, 3.2 RPG, and 2.6 APG on .435/.386/.571 shooting in 31 games (33.6 MPG). Across four college seasons, 773 of Ballock’s 1,028 field goal attempts were three-pointers, and he knocked down 39.8% of them.

Ballock, who was on the Sixers’ roster for Summer League play in Las Vegas last month, is on track to join a Cavaliers roster that currently features 10 players on guaranteed contracts on six on non-guaranteed deals.

Earning a spot on the team’s regular season roster is probably a long shot, but if Ballock’s contract includes Exhibit 10 language, it could be converted into a two-way deal or could give him the opportunity to earn a bonus of up to $50K if he joins the Cavs’ G League affiliate, the Cleveland Charge.

Cavaliers Sign Tre Scott To Camp Deal

September 8th, 2021 at 8:03am CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers have signed free agent forward Tre Scott to a non-guaranteed training camp contract, according to RealGM’s transactions log.

Scott, 24, went undrafted out of Cincinnati in 2020 and signed an Exhibit 10 contract with Utah. He was only under contract with the Jazz for three days, but that deal put him on track to join the team’s G League affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars, for the abridged 2021 NBAGL season.

In 15 games for the Stars, the 6’8″ forward averaged 10.1 PPG, 5.3 RPG, and 2.1 APG on .443/.296/.714 shooting in 29.3 minutes per contest. Scott also played for Cleveland in the Las Vegas Summer League last month, averaging 5.6 PPG and 3.0 RPG in five games (14.6 MPG).

While the Cavaliers are only carrying 10 players on fully guaranteed contracts, Scott will be their sixth player on a non-guaranteed deal, so it will be an uphill battle to earn a spot on the 15-man regular season roster. However, Cleveland still has both of its two-way slots open, so Scott could be in the mix to fill one of those.

Cavs Rumors: Simmons, Love, Frontcourt, Valentine, Mathews, Windler

September 7th, 2021 at 2:59pm CST by Rory Maher

The Cavaliers, who have been mentioned throughout the summer as a possible Ben Simmons suitor, continue to have interest in landing the Sixers star, writes Marc Stein of Substack.

Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com mentioned Cleveland’s pursuit of the three time All-Star today as well, adding that the Cavs could enter the fray as a third team in a Simmons trade in order to acquire either Simmons or a different asset, like they did in the James Harden trade to acquire Jarrett Allen (Taurean Prince was also acquired by the Cavs in the Harden deal, and was recently traded to the Timberwolves for Ricky Rubio).

There’s more from Cleveland:

The Cavaliers continue to be in a tough spot with Kevin Love, Fedor notes. Love played just 25 games last season and his impact on the court has diminished over the course of his contract, which still has two years and $60MM remaining. Such a hefty sum will make it difficult to trade Love without attaching assets, which doesn’t interest the Cavs unless they feel the situation becomes untenable. Fedor adds that the previously rumored buyout talks went nowhere, which means the team and player are stuck with each other — for now.
Evan Mobley is the presumed starting power forward for the Cavs, with $100MM man Allen slotting in at center, Fedor opines, which would make newly-acquired Lauri Markkanen the team’s de facto sixth man. How coach J.B. Bickerstaff manages the frontcourt situation is worth monitoring for a number of reasons, particularly because Markkanen was disappointed about coming off the bench for the Bulls last season, per K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. According to Fedor, the Cavs have talked about having Mobley, Allen, and Markkanen each playing about 26-30 minutes per night.
The Cavs continue to look for wing depth and shooting, Fedor notes, which is crucial to the team’s offensive development. The Cavs were one of the worst shooting teams in the league last season, ranking 25th in FG%, 26th in FT%, 29th in 3PT made, 28th 3PT attempts, and 30th in 3PT%. Sources tell Fedor that Denzel Valentine is interested in Cleveland and that Garrison Mathews could be another possible target.
Dylan Windler, who underwent surgery in April on his left knee, isn’t a lock to be ready for the start of training camp, says Fedor.

Cavaliers Sign Tacko Fall To Non-Guaranteed Deal

September 2nd, 2021 at 1:53pm CST by Eli Cohen

SEPTEMBER 2: The Cavs have made the signing official, per RealGM’s transactions log.

AUGUST 31: The Cavaliers have come to an agreement with free agent center Tacko Fall, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

The deal is for one year and is non-guaranteed. The 7’5″ center spent two seasons with the Celtics, averaging 2.7 PPG, 2.6 RPG and 0.9 BPG in just 26 games total. He became something of a cult hero in Boston, with the fans and his teammates alike.

The Cavaliers have 14 roster spots currently taken, albeit just 10 on fully guaranteed deals, so it’s likely this deal is a training camp try-out.

The Cavaliers have no shortage of big men, especially after the sign-and-trade for Lauri Markkanen, but Fall could be a solid insurance policy, given the injury concerns between Markkanen and Kevin Love.

Latest On Ben Simmons

September 2nd, 2021 at 10:02am CST by Arthur Hill

The Warriors have been mentioned as a possible destination for the Sixers to send Ben Simmons, but the teams haven’t engaged in serious trade talks, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic.

Sources tell Slater that their discussions on Simmons have been limited to a single phone call before the draft in which Philadelphia president of basketball operations Daryl Morey asked for Andrew Wiggins, James Wiseman, Golden State’s two picks in this year’s lottery, and a pair of future first-rounders. The Warriors’ front office declined the offer and no further negotiations took place.

Golden State could still get involved if Morey lowers his asking price, but Slater doesn’t expect Simmons to wind up in San Francisco. He points out concerns about how effective a lineup with Simmons and Draymond Green would be when neither is an effective shooter and notes that the Warriors aren’t desperate to make a move. They have 14 players on guaranteed or partially guaranteed contracts, and it’s assumed throughout the organization that those 14 will make up the opening-night roster. The team isn’t making any trade calls and doesn’t plan to seek any deals before the season begins, sources tell Slater.

In addition, owner Joe Lacob is a strong supporter of both Wiseman and Jonathan Kuminga and would be reluctant to part with either player, Slater adds. Morey would likely ask for at least one of them in return for Simmons, which would be a tough sell for Lacob. Slater sees the Warriors’ best offer as Wiggins and future picks, and he believes the Sixers will have better options.

There’s more news related to Simmons:

The Timberwolves and Raptors have been linked to Simmons most frequently over the summer, Derek Bodner states in an Athletic roundtable on a potential deal. He believes the Cavaliers could be a “wild card” as well and notes that the Sixers’ options improve if a multi-team deal can be worked out. Sam Amick points out that the Wolves – with president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas – and the Kings – with general manager Monte McNair – both have executives who worked closely with Morey during his time in Houston.
Confirming a Wednesday night report from Amick, Jason Jones of The Athletic writes in a mailbag column that the Kings aren’t willing to part with De’Aaron Fox or Tyrese Haliburton to acquire Simmons. He’s skeptical that the Sixers would be interested in an offer of Buddy Hield and Marvin Bagley, who are both below-average defensive players.
John Gonzalez of The Ringer looks at the role that Simmons’ uneasy relationship with Philadelphia fans has played in his desire to leave the team.

Lauri Markkanen's New Contract Valued At More Than $67M

September 1st, 2021 at 7:51pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Cavaliers will pay Lauri Markkanen $15,690,909 for the upcoming season with slight raises throughout his new four-year deal, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac. Markkanen will make $16,475,454 in 2022/23, $17,259,999 in 2023/24 and $18,044,544 in 2024/25, giving the contract a total value of more than $67MM, although only $6MM of the final season is guaranteed.

Scotto’s Latest: Cavs, Bulls, J. Smith, D. Jordan, Dudley, More

September 1st, 2021 at 3:29pm CST by Luke Adams

There were some “intense” talks in the Lauri Markkanen sign-and-trade negotiations between the Cavaliers and Bulls for several days leading up to their agreement last week, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype said in his latest podcast with Yossi Gozlan.

According to Scotto, Cleveland originally wanted to include three second-round picks in their offer for Markkanen, but Chicago insisted on receiving a first-rounder, and the Cavs were able to get one from Portland for Larry Nance Jr. and reroute it to the Bulls.

Even after securing that first-round pick, the Bulls held out for a second-rounder on top of that, according to Scotto, who says some of the parties involved in those negotiations were frustrated by what they perceived to be a moving of the goal posts. Eventually though, the Cavs sent a protected second-round selection to Chicago to get the deal done.

Here’s more from Scotto:

Second-year big man Jalen Smith has been made available by the Suns, multiple sources tell Scotto. Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report stated last month that Phoenix was gauging interest in Smith, and I speculated earlier this week that the former lottery pick could be in play if the Suns make a trade offer for Spurs forward Thaddeus Young.
Scotto reports that the Nets have offered a first-round pick swap in trade talks involving center DeAndre Jordan, but haven’t found any takers. The two sides are reportedly exploring a buyout.
Jared Dudley told Scotto that he planned to retire if the Lakers didn’t re-sign him, since he didn’t want to play anywhere else. When L.A. chose to move on, Dudley accepted an assistant coaching job with the Mavericks.
The Bulls are among the teams that have shown some interest in free agent wing James Ennis, according to Scotto.
When he re-signed with the Knicks, Nerlens Noel wasn’t assured the starting center job, but he’ll get a chance to compete for that role and will “definitely” play meaningful minutes, says Scotto.

Checking In On Remaining Restricted Free Agents

August 31st, 2021 at 1:36pm CST by Luke Adams

When Lauri Markkanen finally came off the board over the weekend, it left just two standard restricted free agents who are still unsigned, as our FA list shows. Both of those players are Timberwolves free agents: Jordan McLaughlin and Jarred Vanderbilt.

Restricted free agents never have a ton of leverage, especially this deep into the offseason. Some players who remain on the market for weeks, like Markkanen, can still land player-friendly deals, but if McLaughlin or Vanderbilt have been drawing interest around the NBA as coveted sign-and-trade candidates or potential offer sheet recipients, we probably would’ve heard about it by now.

McLaughlin looked like he might be in position to secure a favorable commitment from the Timberwolves after the team traded Ricky Rubio to Cleveland, but Minnesota’s recent move to acquire Patrick Beverley adds depth to the point guard spot and clouds McLaughlin’s future.

A year ago, McLaughlin ultimately decided to accept his qualifying offer and play on a two-way contract for a second consecutive season. This time around, his QO is the equivalent of a one-year, minimum-salary deal, but only a very small portion of that offer (about $84K) has to be guaranteed, so accepting it isn’t a great option.

The Wolves are likely willing to offer a more significant guarantee in 2021/22, but probably want to tack on at least one or two non-guaranteed, minimum-salary years to any deal for McLaughlin. With two-way player McKinley Wright in the picture as a potential third point guard, Minnesota has the roster flexibility to play hardball in its negotiations with McLaughlin.

Vanderbilt may be in a slightly better negotiating position, since he’s likely a higher priority for the Wolves. He started 30 games last season, earning a regular rotation role and showing the ability to handle minutes at power forward, the team’s most glaring weak spot.

Minnesota has a few options at the four, but Taurean Prince and Jake Layman won’t move the needle much, and Jaden McDaniels remains pretty raw. Vanderbilt would be a useful depth piece at the right price, which – in the Wolves’ view – is probably something not far above the veteran’s minimum.

As we wait to see what happens with McLaughlin and Vanderbilt, it’s also worth noting that there are technically four other restricted free agents still on the market. The following four players were made RFAs after finishing the season on two-way contracts:

Keita Bates-Diop (Spurs)
Amir Coffey (Clippers)
Anthony Lamb (Rockets)
Brodric Thomas (Cavaliers)

For these four players, accepting a qualifying offer would mean getting another two-way contract with a $50K partial guarantee.

Signing that qualifying offer would provide no security, even though the Spurs, Clippers, Rockets, and Cavaliers do all have two-way slots open right now. Given the modest guarantee, a team likely wouldn’t hesitate to replace one of its two-way players in October with a camp invitee who has an impressive preseason. And as McLaughlin’s situation shows, even playing out a second year on a two-way QO wouldn’t necessarily give a player additional leverage in his next foray into restricted free agency.

Cavs Receive 'D' Grade From Pelton For Offseason Moves

August 31st, 2021 at 12:21pm CST by Luke Adams

In a pair of Insider-only stories for ESPN.com, Kevin Pelton handed out offseason grades for all the teams in both the Eastern Conference and Western Conference. The Hawks and Wizards were the two teams to earn an A, while the Cavaliers and Pelicans were the only two to receive a D.

Central Notes: Bulls, Markkanen, Rubio, Martin

August 30th, 2021 at 6:10pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Bulls and their recently-departed backup power forward Lauri Markkanen should both be better off following the restricted free agent’s sign-and-trade agreement with the Cavaliers, contends Sam Smith of Bulls.com.

Given that retaining Markkanen in Chicago would almost certainly stir locker room drama this season, Smith notes that both sides seem poised to benefit from this fresh start. The Bulls were able to add back two new future draft picks and some salary cap flexibility with Derrick Jones Jr.‘s expiring contract.

Markkanen, meanwhile, will get to once again put up good numbers on a new lottery-bound Cavaliers team that should inflate his depreciated value around the league. Smith still sees potential All-Star upside in Markkanen, the seventh overall selection by the Bulls out of Arizona in the 2017 draft. Perhaps the seven-footer can reach his ceiling in Cleveland.

There’s more out of the Central Division:

There are some fascinating wrinkles to ponder now that Markkanen has joined the Cavaliers, writes Kelsey Russo of The Athletic. Russo takes a deep dive into the Markkanen deal and how it could impact Cleveland’s frontcourt rotations. The 24-year-old sharpshooting big man will help spread the floor, and could do well alongside ball-handlers Darius Garland and Collin Sexton. Evan Mobley, the third pick in the 2021 draft out of USC, should compete with Markkanen for starting power forward honors. Mobley will likely see more time at center now, too, behind newly-minted $100MM man Jarrett Allen. Injury-prone former All-Star power forward Kevin Love will most likely fall behind both Markkanen and Mobley in the rotation now.
Oft-traded new Cavaliers reserve point guard Ricky Rubio admitted that being dealt so frequently has proven frustrating, as he told Didac Piferrer of Marca (hat tip to Johnny Askounis of EuroHoops). “I am indeed a bit tired (of the trades), but I have been in the NBA for ten years now and I know how it works,” Rubio said. “At the end of the day, everyone tries to be ready to adapt to a new environment. You must be mentally prepared for his. But everything takes time.” Rubio was dealt from the Suns to the Thunder, then to the Timberwolves, during the 2020 offseason. He was subsequently sent to Cleveland during the 2021 offseason. Rubio, who is on the last season of a three-year, $51MM deal he inked with Phoenix in 2019, has also played for the Jazz during his ten-year NBA career.
The Cavaliers renounced their free agent exception rights to two-way point guard Jeremiah Martin when completing the Markkanen sign-and-trade, per RealGM. After Cleveland promoted power forward Lamar Stevens from a two-way deal to its 15-man roster in April 2021, the club added Martin on a two-way contract. He suited up for nine contests with the team for the 2020/21 season.