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Cavs Rumors: Roster Concerns, Nets Pick, Trades

January 16th, 2018 at 12:26pm CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers continue to hang onto a top-three seed in the East, but the team has dropped four consecutive games and eight of its last 10 — in terms of wins and losses, the 26-17 Cavs are now the same distance from the eighth-seeded Pistons (22-20) as they are from the second-seeded Raptors (29-13).

Cleveland’s slump has multiple players speaking to reporters – including Dave McMenamin of ESPN and Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com – to express a “growing discontent” with the state of the team. There’s increasing concern in the Cavs’ locker room that the squad’s problems aren’t fixable from within, according to McMenamin and Vardon.

“Rotations are awful. [Isaiah Thomas] is so much worse than Kyrie [Irving] defensively it’s insane,” one league source told Vardon. “There is not a great feeling anywhere. They need to limp into the All-Star break and get away from each other.”

The fact that Cavs players are expressing concerns to the media about the state of the franchise suggests that perhaps they’re trying to push the front office to make a trade to address some of those issues. According to Vardon, communication between the team’s front office and its players and coaches isn’t as frequent as it was under former GM David Griffin, so perhaps this is the simplest way for the players to send a message to management.

Here’s more from out of Cleveland:

  • League sources continue to say that the Cavaliers prefer to hold onto the Nets’ 2018 first-round pick in case the team enters rebuilding mode next season, McMenamin writes in the piece linked above.
  • A trusted source tells Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter link) that he believes the Cavaliers will “definitely” make at least one deal before the February 8 trade deadline. However, Stein is skeptical that there’s a single move out there that would allow the Cavs to close the gap between them and the Warriors.
  • The Cavs can forget about winning the NBA Finals this year if they don’t make a trade in the next few weeks, opines Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net.
  • In the wake of Gregg Popovich‘s comments about LaMarcus Aldridge‘s offseason trade request, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst compares and contrasts the way the Spurs handled that situation with the way that the Cavaliers handled Kyrie Irving‘s trade request.
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Cavs Notes: Thomas, Thompson, James, Lue

January 15th, 2018 at 7:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Isaiah Thomas has shot poorly in his last two outings and he attributes that to his ongoing recovery from his hip injury, as he told Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer and other media members. Thomas scored a combined 13 points on 5-for-26 shooting from the field against the Raptors and Timberwolves after averaging 18.0 PPG in his first two games with the Cavaliers. “I knew it was going to be like this,” the point guard said. “I have no legs. So it’s going to take some time to get it back. Even when I played well those first two games I told coach [Tyronn] Lue it didn’t feel right. It was kinda fool’s gold.” Thomas sat out Friday’s game against the Pacers.

In other developments concerning the Cavaliers:

  • Center Tristan Thompson is doing his best to block out trade rumors that surfaced last week, as he relayed to Joe Vardon of the Cleveland Plain Dealer and other media members. Cleveland is reportedly willing to part with Thompson in order to land DeAndre Jordan from the Clippers. “That business side, people get paid to do that stuff. I get paid to be out there on the court and compete and do my job,” Thompson said. “Guys get paid to make decisions and move pieces around. For me, seven years in the league and seeing guys get traded and just understanding the business of basketball, it doesn’t faze me at all.”
  • Retirement isn’t on LeBron James‘ radar screen at the moment, as he told Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. James is enjoying one of his best statistical season and says he feels “great.” “The game will let you know when it’s over with,” James told Zillgitt. “Retirement for me is like getting engaged. I didn’t know if I was ready or not. I just felt it was the time. Timing was right. The vibe was right. … I definitely never had nobody in my family play in the NBA and retire. So, we’ll see.”
  • Some players are grumbling about Lue’s lineups, Vardon writes in a separate piece. Those team members are wondering if Thompson should be re-inserted into the lineup on a regular basis and believe power forward Channing Frye should receive more playing time, Vardon adds. The team had lost three straight entering Monday’s marquee matchup against the Warriors.
  • Lue doesn’t anticipate the team making any moves before the trade deadline, Vardon relays in another notebook.
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Nikola Mirotic, 15 Others Become Trade-Eligible

January 15th, 2018 at 8:44am CST by Luke Adams

Today is January 15, which means that trade restrictions have lifted for most of the rest of the NBA’s 2017 offseason signees. While the majority of those ’17 free agents became trade-eligible on December 15, there was a small subset of free agent signees whose trade ineligibility lasted for another month.

The 16 players whose trade restrictions lift today meet a specific set of criteria: Not only did they re-sign with their previous teams this offseason, but they received raises of at least 20%, their salaries are worth more than the minimum, and their teams were over the cap, using Bird or Early Bird rights to sign them.

The most notable name in this group is Bulls power forward Nikola Mirotic. He’s not the best player on the list — Blake Griffin and Kyle Lowry would be among those vying for that honor. But Mirotic is the most likely player to be dealt out of the 16 guys becoming trade-eligible today. He has been linked to a handful of teams already, including the Jazz, Pistons, and Trail Blazers.

Here are the 16 players becoming trade-eligible today:

With three and a half weeks left until this season’s February 8 trade deadline, nearly all of the NBA’s players are now eligible to be dealt. The only players still ineligible to be moved are those who signed free agent contracts later than October 15, plus certain players who signed contract extensions in the offseason.

Hawks guard Isaiah Taylor (January 17), Nuggets forward Richard Jefferson (January 19), and Pelicans guard Jameer Nelson (January 22) are now the only remaining players who will become trade-eligible between today and February 8. For the full list of players who won’t become trade-eligible before this year’s deadline, click here.

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Cavaliers Willing To Move Tristan Thompson

January 12th, 2018 at 11:10am CST by Luke Adams

Multiple NBA teams have identified veteran center Tristan Thompson as a player the Cavaliers would be willing to move in the right deal, according to Shams Charania of Yahoo! Sports.

While it’s not clear what the “right” deal would look like for Cleveland, Charania suggests that Thompson would be a prime candidate to head the other way if the Cavs were to make a move for a player like Clippers center DeAndre Jordan.

Thompson, who will turn 27 in March, has been a regular part of the Cavaliers’ rotation since being selected fourth overall in the 2011 draft. He has appeared in 487 regular season games and another 59 postseason contests over the course of his career, averaging 9.2 PPG and 8.5 RPG in the regular season, primarily as a starter.

However, in 2017/18, injuries have limited Thompson to 21 games, and the Cavs’ system and style of play have limited his importance to the team. In 21 games, the seventh-year big man is averaging just 5.3 PPG and 5.7 RPG in 19.0 MPG, all career lows.

Thompson’s $16.4MM cap hit makes him a logical outgoing piece if the Cavs look to acquire a big-money player, though the fact that he still has two more guaranteed years on his contract beyond this season likely won’t appeal to some potential trade partners.

In addition to Thompson, the Nets’ 2018 first-round pick is Cleveland’s other noteworthy trade asset. The Cavs have reportedly been hesitant to include that Brooklyn pick in any trade offers so far. Charania suggests that stars like Paul George and DeMarcus Cousins would be worth that Nets first-rounder, but neither George nor Cousins are currently on the trade block, despite their expiring contracts and their respective teams’ mediocre first-half results.

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Cavs Notes: Rose, Shumpert, Thomas, Thompson

January 10th, 2018 at 2:53pm CST by Luke Adams

Neither Derrick Rose nor Iman Shumpert has appeared in a game for the Cavaliers since November, and it sounds like both players will remain sidelined for at least a little longer.

While there was an expectation that Rose may return to action for the Cavaliers during their current road trip, that won’t happen after all, head coach Tyronn Lue said today. As Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com writes, it sounds like Shumpert’s return isn’t imminent either.

“We thought he was (closer),” Lue said of Shumpert, who is recovering from a knee injury. “He had some soreness in his foot or whatever.”

As the club waits for its injured players to get healthy, here are a few more notes out of Cleveland:

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Isaiah Thomas’ Best Chance At Top Deal May Be With Cavs

January 9th, 2018 at 5:52pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Isaiah Thomas will be a free agent at the end of the season and league executives tell ESPN’s Brian Windhorst that the point guard’s best chance at a lucrative deal is with the Cavaliers.

Windhorst also hears that Cleveland will have interest in retaining Thomas regardless of whether or not LeBron James returns to the team, as long as Thomas can prove he’s past the hip injury. If James bolts, the Cavs cannot simply let go of other assets just because they will no longer be serious contenders for a championship.

According to Windhorst, although the Cavs made it clear behind the scenes that the Nets’ pick was the top piece in the Kyrie Irving trade, the organization will feel some pressure to keep Thomas, as he was the best player sent to Cleveland in the deal. The scribe also notes that owner Dan Gilbert loves underdogs and players who have overcome challenges. The Cavs paid $2.4MM to buy a draft pick in 2016 in order to take Kay Felder—an undersized point guard who went to a smaller university—because of Felder’s ability to overcome challenges. Felder didn’t work out for Cleveland, but Thomas’ career fits the mold of what caught Gilbert’s eye.

Thomas is making roughly $6.3MM this season, though he spoke last summer about desiring the max. That was before he was dealt to Cleveland and before he missed significant time with his hip injury. It was reported last week that the market for his services will be difficult to predict. However, the point guard is thriving in limited minutes with his new club and signs appear to be pointing in the right direction.

The Cavs have the league’s highest payroll at approximately $134.1MM, but they hold Thomas’ full Bird rights, which means they are eligible to go well beyond the cap to make him an offer.

The point guard market could help Cleveland retain Thomas at a rate lower than the max. Players such as Kyle Lowry and George Hill found out last summer that the market for veteran floor generals was underwhelming and both point guards settled for less than they were expecting just months before.

Furthermore, most of the teams projected to have cap space for a $20MM annual offer are not expected to make a play for an expensive point guard. The Bulls like what they have in Kris Dunn. The Sixers will continue to let Ben Simmons handle the one and the Mavs just drafted Dennis Smith Jr. with the No. 9 overall pick back in June.

Windhorst names the Nets, Suns, and Pacers as possibilities, but the scribe is bearish on all three, especially Phoenix since it already traded Thomas away once.

Thomas has played in three games with Cleveland (2-1 record) so far, taking some of the offensive responsibilities off of James’ plate. The point guard is averaging 15.0 points and 3.3 assists in 19.7 minutes per contest.

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Two Cavaliers Trade Exceptions Expire

January 9th, 2018 at 11:58am CST by Luke Adams

Two traded player exceptions created by the Cavaliers in last January’s acquisition of Kyle Korver expired this week, as expected. One of those two trade exceptions was already utilized by the Cavs in the offseason, and the amount left on it made it virtually impossible to use again. However, the other one, worth about $4.84MM, wasn’t used at all.

[RELATED: Outstanding NBA Trade Exceptions]

Despite letting those two trade exceptions expire, the Cavs remain well-stocked with TPEs in the event that they need one to make a deal at next month’s deadline. Most notably, they hold one worth approximately $5.81MM, which will be available until late August.

The following trade exceptions around the NBA will also expire if they’re not used by the February 8 trade deadline:

  • Milwaukee Bucks: $5,000,000
  • New Orleans Pelicans: $3,517,200
  • Chicago Bulls: $1,589,480
  • Dallas Mavericks: $1,514,160
  • Milwaukee Bucks: $1,151,241 (expires on February 2)
  • Cleveland Cavaliers: $980,431
  • Dallas Mavericks: $621,362
  • Washington Wizards: $425,973
  • Portland Trail Blazers: $407,210
  • Toronto Raptors: $328,000

While they won’t expire until sometime in the offseason, the Trail Blazers ($12.97MM), Raptors ($11.8MM), and Clippers ($7.27MM) also have sizable trade exceptions worth keeping an eye on. Still, all three of those clubs have potential luxury tax concerns, so they’re unlikely to take on big salaries at the deadline without sending out any money.

For more information on how trade exceptions work, be sure to check out our glossary entry on the subject.

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Jamal Crawford Wanted To Play With Isaiah Thomas

January 8th, 2018 at 8:16pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Veteran shooting guard Jamal Crawford would have signed with the Cavaliers if their blockbuster trade with the Celtics had happened sooner, he revealed to Joe Vardon of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Crawford is close friends with Isaiah Thomas and that would have played a pivotal role in deciding where to go as a free agent last summer.

“That’s my brother,” Crawford told Vardon and other media members. “We’re past like friends or basketball relationship. … Like, we go on vacation, like it’s his family and my family. … so that would’ve had to change things.”

Cleveland wanted to sign Crawford for the veteran’s minimum but the Timberwolves offered their $4.3MM room mid-level exception. Crawford has a player option worth $4.6MM for next season.

Crawford also considered signing with the Warriors after the Clippers traded him to the Hawks. Atlanta had no intention of keeping Crawford after acquiring him in a three-team deal in July and the two sides reached a buyout agreement.

Crawford also liked the idea of joining a team on the upswing, instead of one of the reigning conference champions, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN.

“If I would go there and we would win a championship, I’d be like ‘OK, what’s next Jamal?’ You want to embrace that journey and I wanted to go through it with these guys,” said Crawford, referring to the Timberwolves. “There’s nothing against , like, I have the ultimate respect for the Cavs and the Warriors and all those teams. But they’re already there. I wanted to go somewhere where they can kind of build up.”

Crawford is averaging 9.7 PPG and 2.3 APG in 18.8 MPG as one of Minnesota’s key reserves.

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Cavs Okay With Bump In Road; Korver TPE Set To Expire

January 7th, 2018 at 7:19pm CST by Austin Kent

The Cavaliers recently lost five of seven games and it’s not even the first time that the team has hit that milestone this season. Consider it a bump in the road that the team can live with, Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com writes.

“We know who we are now, what we want to do. Sometimes even when you know you still take some bumps along that road. That’s OK,” LeBron James said, adding that the team embroiled in a rough patch now is in a better place than the earlier version of the Cavaliers that stumbled at the beginning of the season.

Before Saturday, the Cavaliers had lost five straight on the road, a concerning slide considering that they have three more games left on their current road trip.

  • The Cavaliers have no intention of using the $4.8MM trade exception created in the Kyle Korver deal last season, Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com writes. With no roster vacancies and a monstrous luxury tax bill as it is, such a revelation isn’t particularly surprising.
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