Kyle Korver Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Cavs GM Talks Korver, Roster, Trade Possibilities

January 13th, 2017 at 5:59pm CST by Luke Adams

Speaking to reporters for the first time since completing the trade that sent Mike Dunleavy, Mo Williams, and a first-round pick to Atlanta for Kyle Korver, Cavaliers general manager David Griffin admitted that his club had been eyeing the veteran sharpshooter for a while. According to Griffin, the Cavs looked into landing Korver last season, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com.

During his conversation with reporters, Griffin also addressed LeBron James‘ recent public comments about Cleveland needing a point guard and a backup big man. Although he agrees with James on the subject of a point guard, Griffin isn’t convinced that the current roster needs more frontcourt depth. As the GM observed, the Cavs are often at their best when they’re using a smaller lineup with the Finals MVP at the four, reducing the need to add more traditional bigs to the lineup.

Here are a few more of Griffin’s most notable comments from the presser, via McMenamin and Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com:

On potentially adding a “playmaker” rather than simply targeting a backup point guard:

“It’s something where we’re all pretty keenly aware that it would help take some burden off of Kyrie [Irving] and LeBron as our primary playmaker, so if we could get somebody else that could do it … and it really doesn’t even have to be a point guard; it’s just we need playmaking. … Obviously [Tyronn Lue] has done some creative things with Kevin Love to make offense run through him as well. But all season long, we’ve known we need more playmaking and just more intelligence at times on the floor in terms of the decision-making. We’ll continue to try to improve.”

On using their $9.6MM traded player exception (expiring 2/18/17) to acquire Korver, reducing its value to $4.4MM and creating two new TPEs, when the team could’ve held onto the full $9.6MM TPE instead:

“The reason we did it is it’s highly unlikely a team that’s running our cap and tax numbers is going to be able to use the full bandwidth of that number ($9.6MM), and the number of players that fit was really small in terms of people we had any realistic expectation we could acquire. We wanted to do something where we reset the deck with a couple [trade exceptions] that were going to be usable for another year.

“It gives us the most flexibility that we can have moving forward into the summer. We’ve got a couple other [trade exceptions] that are going to expire in July. With the minimum [salaries] changing and everything else moving forward, it’s going to be hard to use those small ones because I think they are probably going to be smaller than minimum, but [team counsel] Tony Leotti and [planning director] Brock Aller are just amazing with what they do and everything with cap space. Essentially that was their creation.”

On the fact that not many teams currently view themselves as sellers:

“The teams that are identified as sellers probably didn’t have what fit us real well, so I think there are far fewer opportunities right now to make trades than there have been in the past for our team, just in terms of fit. … Hopefully that picture clears itself up a little bit by the trade deadline. Maybe some teams that are still playing for right now may end up being in a situation where they start to set the deck for the future, but we need more teams to be out of the playoff picture to really be able to get business done.”

Eastern Notes: Dunleavy Jr., Cavs, Monroe, Noel

January 12th, 2017 at 6:31pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Mike Dunleavy Jr. labelled reports that indicated he wanted a buyout from the Hawks “pretty inaccurate” and believes he’ll fit right in with the team, Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta-Journal Constitution reports. The Hawks were hoping to find another team for the 36-year-old swingman when he was included in the deal that delivered sharpshooter Kyle Korver to the Cavaliers, Vivlamore continues. Dunleavy has since received assurances from coach Mike Budenholzer that he’ll get some playing time, though he will not immediately become part of the rotation. “I fit in as far as the way I play,” Dunleavy told Vivlamore. “I move, cut, shoot, pass. That’s the way this team is structured. It’s not a matter of what are you going to do for me or how am I going to fit in. It didn’t take much explaining.”

In other news around the Eastern Conference:

In the aftermath of the Korver trader, the $9.6MM trade exception that the Cavaliers gained in the trade that sent Anderson Varejao to the Trail Blazers last February has been reduced to $4.4MM, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical tweets. That exception will expire on February 20, Wojnarowski continues. The Cavs created two more exceptions worth $4.8MM and $2.2MM in the deal that also shipped Mo Williams and a protected 2019 first-round pick to Atlanta. Those exceptions will expire on February 7, 2018, Wojnarowski adds.
Bucks center Greg Monroe is a long way from deciding whether to exercise the player option on his contract, according to Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Monroe has a $17.8MM option this summer in the final year of his three-year, $50MM deal. “I’m not thinking about anything like the off-season right now,” he told Gardner. “There is a time and place for everything. If and when I have to make a decision, that time is not right now.” Monroe, the subject of heavy trade speculation during the offseason, has boosted his stock with his play this season, averaging 10.6 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.4 assists as the leader of the second unit.
Sixers big man Nerlens Noel, whose playing time has spiked this month, calls this group the “closest team I’ve been on” in his short NBA career, Jessica Camerato of CSNPhilly tweets. Noel, a prime trade candidate as our Luke Adams detailed last month, is averaging 11.3 points and 6.7 rebounds in 23.3 minutes over the last three games. His comment suggests he might be softening his tone about his role with the club.

Central Notes: Griffin, Korver, Rondo, Leuer

January 11th, 2017 at 10:11am CST by Luke Adams

Within a piece exploring a handful of David Griffin‘s underappreciated moves for the Cavaliers, Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com writes that the Cavs general manager will get right back to work after consummating a pair of deals last week. Having landed a veteran sharpshooter in Kyle Korver, Griffin will move on to the next item on the team’s wish list: a backup point guard.

Perhaps more interestingly, Windhorst also passes along a detail on Griffin’s contract, reporting that it’s set to expire at season’s end. Given the fact that he won a championship last year and has built a roster that looks capable of contending for years to come, Griffin shouldn’t be in any danger at all, so it will be interesting to see if he and the Cavaliers work out an extension anytime soon.

Here’s more out of the Central on the Cavs and some of their division rivals:

Korver didn’t have a memorable debut for the Cavaliers on Tuesday night, scoring just two points in 18 minutes. Still, he’s excited about his new home, calling Cleveland the “most talented team I’ve ever been on,” as Jason Lloyd of The Akron Beacon Journal details. LeBron James gave some advice to his new teammate this week, telling Korver he wants to see him shoot early and often, per Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com.
After sharing some candid thoughts on Tuesday about his recent benching, Rajon Rondo returned to the court for the Bulls later in the night, playing for the first time in 2017. As K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune reports, Rondo played well enough that head coach Fred Hoiberg said he expected the point guard to remain in the rotation going forward — for now, at least.
Jon Leuer, who had been starting for the Pistons, left Sunday’s game with a knee injury, and while Stan Van Gundy indicated it’s likely not serious, Leuer may miss a few games. Rod Beard of The Detroit News, who notes that rookie Henry Ellenson may receive some more minutes in Leuer’s absence, has the details and quotes.

Cavs Notes: Korver, Liggins, McRae

January 8th, 2017 at 9:01pm CST by Will Joseph

The Cavs figure to make at least one or two more transactions before the playoffs begin in April after acquiring Kyle Korver Saturday in a trade, Jason Lloyd of The Akron Beacon Journal writes. It was a shrewd deal for the Cavs because the game has evolved into focusing more on small-ball and relying on three-pointers, Lloyd surmises. Trading a future first-round pick for a veteran comes with risk, especially since LeBron James could bolt in the 2018 summer, Lloyd cautions.

Here is more out of Cleveland:

Korver is with the Cavs in Phoenix for the game against the Suns, but cannot play or be on the bench because Mike Dunleavy Jr.‘s physical hasn’t been completed yet, Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com reports (ESPN NOW link). The Cavs hope the medicals will be completed by Monday so that Korver can go through his first practice with the team, McMenamin adds.
There was virtually no chance DeAndre Liggins would have been waived prior to his salary becoming fully guaranteed Saturday, but Jordan McRae‘s situation wasn’t as predictable, Joe Vardon of Northeast Ohio Media Group relays. The Cavs kept both players; they’re salaries are approximately $1MM each. While Liggins is a starter as a top-notch defender, McRae was a fringe rotation player and the latter’s chances of staying on the Cavs grew when Mo Williams was traded, as Vardon explains. Cleveland could’ve waived McRae to avoid paying his full salary (along with the tax penalty on his salary) and freed up a roster spot, as Vardon notes.

Mike Dunleavy Jr. Seeks Buyout From Hawks

January 8th, 2017 at 7:06pm CST by Will Joseph

Mike Dunleavy Jr. has yet to report to the Hawks and is seeking a buyout from the team after Atlanta acquired the veteran Saturday in a trade, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports, citing league sources. Dunleavy, of course, would be a free agent if the Hawks grant him his wish.

The Hawks, Stein writes, would like to keep Dunleavy, who is earning $4.9MM this season. His contract for next year worth $5.2MM is only partially guaranteed. The sides were still in talks as of Sunday, Stein reports. Considering his contract and how much Dunleavy can help the Hawks, it would be somewhat surprising to see him become a free agent this way.

The Cavs sent Dunleavy to the Hawks Saturday. The swap, which is official, sent Kyle Korver to Cleveland in exchange for Dunleavy, Mo Williams and a protected 2019 first-round pick. Korver is with the Cavs in Phoenix but is unable to play or even watch the game from the bench because Dunleavy’s physical hasn’t been completed, Stein writes.

Cavaliers Notes: Korver, Liggins, Dunleavy, Holmes

January 7th, 2017 at 5:14pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Cavaliers plan to use Kyle Korver primarily off the bench, according to Jason Lloyd of The Akron Beacon Journal. Cleveland’s trade for the veteran guard was finalized today, and coach Tyronn Lue calls him one of the NBA’s best shooters off screens, along with Warriors guards Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. “Especially a guy who can move without the ball the way he moves coming off screens and things like that, there’s no better guy,” Lue said. “You put him on the floor with Channing [Frye], RJ [Richard Jefferson], LeBron [James] and the floor will open wide, so now you got to pick your poison when you try to help off Kyrie and LeBron.” However, Lue prefers to keep DeAndre Liggins in the starting lineup because of defense against opposing point guards.

There’s more news out of Cleveland:

Mike Dunleavy Jr.‘s disappointing season played a huge role in the deal, Lloyd writes in the same piece. The Cavs picked up Dunleavy for virtually nothing over the summer when the Bulls were clearing cap space to sign Dwyane Wade, but he put up some of the worst numbers of his career in Cleveland. He averaged just 4.6 points in 23 games and shot 35% from 3-point range, his worst figure since 2009/10. Dunleavy dropped out of the rotation early, but Lue says it wasn’t entirely his fault. “We really didn’t run the same movement stuff for him that Chicago ran for him and he didn’t really get a chance to really fit and blend in,” the coach said. “And that was on me, on us, but that’s just how our team is constructed. And it wasn’t fair to him but he’s a great professional. … I just thought he never really got a great rhythm on our team.”
Jonathan Holmes, who was cut by the Cavaliers in training camp, has joined the team’s D-League affiliate in Canton, tweets international basketball writer David Pick. The 24-year-old forward signed a two-month contract with Barcelona in November with an option for the rest of the season, but the team decided not to extend the deal. Pick calls him a “legit call-up candidate.”

Cavaliers Acquire Kyle Korver From Hawks

January 7th, 2017 at 11:55am CST by Luke Adams

11:55am: The first-round pick acquired by the Hawks in the swap will be top-10 protected in 2019 and 2020, tweets Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com. If it falls in the top 10 in both of those years, it will convert to second-round picks for 2021 and 2022, though that seems unlikely.

According to Bobby Marks of The Vertical (Twitter link), Atlanta also received cash from Cleveland in the deal — roughly enough to cover the $1.2MM left on Williams’ contract. The Cavs were eligible to include up to $1.5MM in a trade.

11:29am: The Cavaliers and Hawks have finalized their trade that was first reported on Thursday, tweets Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal Constitution. The swap, which is now official, will send Kyle Korver to Cleveland in exchange for Mike Dunleavy Jr., Mo Williams, and a protected 2019 first-round pick. The Cavs have confirmed the transaction in a press release.

In Korver, the Cavs will acquire one of the NBA’s best long-distance shooter, who has a career 42.9% mark on three-point attempts. Just two years removed from an All-Star nod, the 35-year-old is averaging 9.5 PPG in 32 contests for the Hawks this season, with a .441/.409/.889 shooting line. Korver will provide Cleveland with some additional outside shooting over the next several months while J.R. Smith is sidelined, and will be another scoring threat for the club in the postseason.

By moving both Dunleavy and Williams in the deal and taking only Korver back in return, the Cavs will open up a spot on their 15-man roster, allowing the team to sign, claim, or trade for another player. There’s no rush for Cleveland to fill that opening, but with Smith expected to be out until March, and Chris Andersen out for the season, the team will be keeping an eye open for depth options.

That roster spot could ultimately be used on a point guard, as the Cavs have been lacking a reliable veteran option since the start of the season. LeBron James has suggested multiple times this week that he’d like to see the team address the position, and there’s no shortage of veteran options on the market, including Mario Chalmers, Jarrett Jack, and Norris Cole.

As for Atlanta, the team has been rumored to be shopping all their veteran players on expiring contracts, a group that included Korver. Now that the club has made one move, there’s a good chance others will follow. Thabo Sefolosha, Tiago Splitter, Kris Humphries, and – of course – Paul Millsap remain on the block for the Hawks.

From a salary cap and CBA perspective, the trade is an interesting one. The Cavaliers had a $9.6MM trade exception available that they could have used to comfortably absorb Korver’s salary, but the team doesn’t necessarily have to use it. Taxpaying teams like the Cavs can acquire up to 125% of the salary they send out in a trade, so Dunleavy’s $4.8MM+ salary is enough to take back Korver, who is earning about $5.2MM.

If Cleveland completed the trade that way, the team would hang onto its big $9.6MM traded player exception, which expires next month, and create a new TPE worth Williams’ salary ($2.19MM). Alternately, using that $9.6MM TPE to take on Korver, and creating new TPEs worth Dunleavy’s salary and Williams’ salary is another possibility for Cleveland. Trade exceptions created today wouldn’t expire until January 2018.

It’s also worth noting that the Cavs needed to first complete a separate trade before this deal could be finalized. Because the Ted Stepien Rule prevents NBA teams from trading consecutive future first-round picks, and Cleveland had already sent its 2018 selection to Portland, the Cavs had to get that ’18 first-rounder back, sending out their 2017 first-round pick instead. That allowed the club to move its 2019 pick in its deal with Atlanta.

The Cavs’ decision to hang onto Williams even after he had announced his retirement paid off as well. Cleveland was able to attach him to this deal, reducing the team’s tax bill and creating an open roster spot. The Hawks, who waived Ryan Kelly this week to create room to complete a two-for-one deal, will likely waive the veteran point guard at some point and eat his salary.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Central Notes: Caldwell-Pope, Korver, Wade

January 6th, 2017 at 10:51pm CST by Austin Kent

The Pistons have known all along that the pending free agency of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope could be tough to handle, but it would be an easier pill to swallow were they winning at the rate they enjoyed in 2015/16. According to Pistons.com editor Keith Langlois, Caldwell-Pope’s agents could use Allen Crabbe‘s four-year, $72MM deal with the Trail Blazers as a precedent and then ask for considerably more.

In four seasons with Detroit, Caldwell-Pope has established himself as a gritty, lockdown defender who doesn’t take plays off. While his relatively modest 14.4 points per game (14.5 last season) do little to justify his case as a big money player to those who haven’t seen him play, his reputation is what has earned him the trust of head coach Stan Van Gundy.

Caldwell-Pope averaged 36.7 minutes per game last season as the Pistons crept into the Eastern Conference playoff picture. Only three players, James Harden, Kyle Lowry and Jimmy Butler played more for their respective teams.

The Pistons already have four players owed over $10MM next season, including Andre Drummond who will collect $23.8MM, but the team will see Josh Smith‘s $14MM wiped as consolation.

Elsewhere in the Central Division:

In light of the Cavaliers‘ recent deal for Kyle Korver, Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio explores what could be next for the team. Per Amico, Mario Chalmers and Jarrett Jack are among the names that could be added as a backup point guard.
Former teammate of LeBron James and current Bulls guard, Dwyane Wade spoke with Vincent Goodwill of CSN Chicago regarding the Korver deal. “You want the politically correct answer, or the other one? The rich getting richer,” said Wade of the Cavaliers.
There are several reasons why the Korver trade could shift the balance of power to the Cavaliers, writes Keith Smart of RealGM in a recap of the deal. Smart expects Korver’s numbers to surge like Channing Frye‘s did when he was acquired late last season.

Cavaliers Finalizing Deal For Kyle Korver

January 6th, 2017 at 2:11pm CST by Austin Kent

JANUARY 6, 2:11pm: The Cavs are shipping out Mo Williams as part of the deal, Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal confirms (Twitter link).

JANUARY 6, 9:08am: The Hawks and Cavs are working on finding a third team for Dunleavy, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical tweets. If they can’t find a taker, Atlanta will keep the small-forward.

JANUARY 5, 8:13pm: The trade has not yet been finalized, but the way things appear to sit now involve the Cavaliers sending Mike Dunleavy Jr. and a 2019 first-round pick to the Hawks in exchange for Kyle Korver. It’s also been reported that Dunleavy could be flipped to a third team prior to Friday’s trade call. Earlier updates had Mo Williams and possibly Cedi Osman involved.

In a separate trade, the Cavaliers are sending their 2017 first-round pick to the Trail Blazers in order to re-acquire their own 2018 first-round pick that, per The Oregonian’s Tim Brown, they gave up in the Anderson Varejao deal last February.

JANUARY 5, 7:36pm: According to Brian Windhorst of ESPN, the Cavaliers have also made a separate trade with the Trail Blazers. They’ll trade their 2017 first-round pick to Portland in order to get their 2018 first-round pick back. He also tweets that Cleveland’s 2019 first-round pick will be on its way to Atlanta.

JANUARY 5, 7:28pm: Wojnarowski now reports that the Cavs will send Mike Dunleavy Jr. to the Hawks and that he’ll likely move on to a third team, though it’s not clear what team that will be. Dunleavy Jr. makes $4.8MM this season, with a team option for next season.

JANUARY 5, 7:15pm: Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets that he hears that the retired – but still tradable – Mo Williams is Atlanta-bound, along with a heavily protected first-round pick from the Cavaliers. He also confirms on Twitter, that the Cavs can absorb Korver’s salary if they wish, via the Anderson Varejao trade exception.

JANUARY 5, 7:08pm: According to Hawks beat writer Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Hawks hadn’t confirmed the deal as of 6:47pm CST, but coach Mike Budenholzer had pulled Korver aside. Vivlamore adds that a Cavaliers executive was in Atlanta last week to watch the sharpshooter. Finally, Vivlamore tweets that Cedi Osman could be among the package going to Atlanta. The 2015 second-round pick is currently playing in Turkey.

JANUARY 5, 6:56pm: The Cavaliers are finalizing a deal that will land them Kyle Korver, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski. While the exact terms being discussed aren’t currently available, what’s known now is that wheels are in motion for the 35-year-old veteran to join the reigning champions.

Over the course of the last five years with the Hawks, Korver has established himself as an elite deep threat and was even named to the All-Star team in 2015. He’ll now join a Cavaliers team that’s seen three-point specialists like Channing Frye and J.R. Smith thrive thanks to the spacing created by its stars.

Korver is on the final year of a contract worth $5.3MM and while the Cavaliers are currently well over the cap, it’s worth noting that they hold four outstanding trade exceptions, including one worth $9.6MM that is set to expire in February.

According to Justin Verrier of ESPN, as of 6:52pm CST, Korver was still warming up on the court prior to Atlanta’s Wednesday night game against New Orleans.

Latest On Paul Millsap

January 2nd, 2017 at 1:35pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA’s 2017 rumor mill got off to an interesting start on Sunday, with an ESPN report suggesting that the Hawks are listening to offers on Paul Millsap, among other players. Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal Constitution takes a closer look at that report today, noting that Atlanta is indeed doing its due diligence on Millsap, along with Kyle Korver, Thabo Sefolosha, Tiago Splitter, and Kris Humphries. However, just because the team is willing to listen, that doesn’t mean a deal is imminent or even likely. Atlanta hasn’t put Millsap on the trade block, per Vivlamore.

Vivlamore also addressed a separate report from ESPN, which indicated that Millsap has already decided to opt out of his contract and become a free agent in 2017. That report is simply “not true,” according to Vivlamore, who heard from a source on Sunday that no decision has been made on that front. It’s certainly likely that Millsap will turn down his player option and explore the open market, but a serious injury or another unexpected factor could impact that decision, Vivlamore writes.

Here’s more on Millsap, as rumors begin to swirl in Atlanta:

The Hawks‘ asking price for Millsap will be high, and will likely outweigh what suitors are willing to give up for a player on an expiring contract, says Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders (Twitter links). Kyler expects there to be plenty of trade talk surrounding Hawks players like Millsap and Korver, but he isn’t anticipating a ton of action by the deadline.
Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders identifies the Raptors, Trail Blazers, and Nuggets as a few teams that would make sense as trade partners for Atlanta if the Hawks get serious about moving Millsap.
Within his latest mailbag, Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel discusses the possibility of the Heat making a play for Millsap via trade or free agency.