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Cavs Rumors: Nets Pick, Thompson, J.R. Smith

February 5th, 2018 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

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

February 4th, 2018 at 10:59am CST by Arthur Hill

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 D eAndre 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’

February 2nd, 2018 at 12:44pm CST by Luke Adams

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

February 1st, 2018 at 8:15am CST by Luke Adams

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.

Clippers Rumors: LeBron, Jordan, Gallinari

January 30th, 2018 at 3:55pm CST by Luke Adams

In the wake of Monday’s Blake Griffin trade agreement, word surfaced that the Clippers were trying to force their way into this summer’s LeBron James sweepstakes, with the Griffin move representing the first step necessary to clear salary from their 2018/19 books. However, Clippers fans shouldn’t get their hopes up about that scenario, says Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated.

As of now, James isn’t expected to seriously consider the Clippers in free agency, a source close to LeBron tells Spears. A source close to the Clippers also admits to Spears that the club doesn’t really expect to receive legit consideration from the four-time MVP. Still, the team has to make the phone call, Spears notes.

While the idea of acquiring LeBron is a long shot, the new voices in the Clippers’ front office, including Jerry West, were able to convince owner Steve Ballmer that the franchise has a real shot to enter the mix for the NBA’s top 2018 free agents, according to Marc Stein of The New York Times. Multiple league insiders tell Stein that the Clips will continue to explore pre-deadline deals that help them create cap room for this summer, though using cap room in 2019 represents a solid fallback plan.

Here’s more on the Clippers:

The Clippers haven’t ruled out the possibility of extending DeAndre Jordan or Lou Williams, and have recently ramped up efforts to secure commitments from those players, writes Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders. If extensions can’t be reached, the odds of pre-deadline trades involving Jordan and/or Williams would increase. Still, the Clips haven’t closed the door on the idea of re-signing either player this offseason, per Spears.
Kyler and Stein both suggest that the Clippers will explore attaching multiyear contracts to Jordan and Williams in trades as they look to create more 2018 cap flexibility. Word is that any trade involving Jordan would need to include a contract like Wesley Johnson‘s or Austin Rivers‘, says Kyler.
It makes more sense for the Clippers to focus on 2019 free agency rather than frantically trying to ditch bad contracts now, argues Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report.
Danilo Gallinari is currently the only Clipper with a guaranteed salary for 2019/20. The veteran forward will return to action for the club tonight after missing the last 25 games with a glute injury, Doc Rivers confirmed today (Twitter link via Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times).

Reaction To The Blake Griffin Trade

January 29th, 2018 at 10:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pistons and Clippers agreed to the biggest blockbuster trade of the season on Monday, with star forward Blake Griffin as the centerpiece.

Here’s how some top columnists from around the country view the deal:

Acquiring Griffin is more likely to be the beginning of the end for Stan Van Gundy’s regime with the Pistons than it is to turn the franchise around, Kelvin Pelton of ESPN opines. Detroit will hard-pressed to make any moves after the season because Griffin’s contact will push the team close to the luxury-tax line, Pelton points out. The Pistons also weakened themselves at the wing spots by trading Avery Bradley, while the Clippers added another quality starter with an affordable contract in Tobias Harris, Pelton continues. Trading Griffin also gives the Clippers a better chance at creating max cap space next summer to pursue top free agents, though trading a star player at the beginning of a long-term deal won’t help the Clips build trust with those free agents, Pelton adds.
The Clippers have positioned themselves to be major players in the 2019 free agent market, according to Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post. Kawhi Leonard, Kyrie Irving, Jimmy Butler, Klay Thompson, Kevin Love and Kemba Walker could be available and the team will have just one guaranteed contract on the books for the 2019/20 season, Bontemps notes. LeBron James and Paul George could also be available if they sign one-year deals with their current squads, Bontemps adds.
The Pistons paid a king’s ransom for Griffin and it’s unlikely to work out in their favor, Sean Deveney of the Sporting News opines. Griffin’s injury history is a major concern, particularly his left knee issues, and he has missed one-third of his team’s games since the 2013-14 season, Deveney notes. He’s also a questionable fit next to Andre Drummond, since Griffin is a subpar three-point shooter and has also struggled with his mid-range game this season.
Detroit hasn’t landed a big-time free agent since Chauncey Billups in 2002, so the Pistons can only acquire an All-Star talent through trades, according to Sam Amick and Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. The Pistons need Griffin to make the playoffs, while the first-rounder is the biggest piece the Clippers landed. That likely gives L.A. two first-rounders in the next draft during a time when picks are highly coveted, the USA Today duo adds.
The Clippers clearly seem to believe they can make a serious run at LeBron James when he enters free agency in July and this trade will facilitate that goal, Marc Stein of the New York Times tweets. Potential trades involving DeAndre Jordan and Lou Williams will be aimed in helping them in that quest, Stein adds.

LeBron, Curry Finalize Teams For NBA All-Star Game

January 25th, 2018 at 7:01pm CST by marksuleymanov

Stephen Curry and LeBron James have finalized their teams for the 2018 NBA All-Star game.

Team LeBron’s starting lineup includes James, Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis, DeMarcus Cousins and Kyrie Irving. James’ reserves will be comprised of Bradley Beal, LaMarcus Aldridge, Kevin Love, Russell Westbrook, Victor Oladipo, Kristaps Porzingis and John Wall.

Team Curry’s starting lineup includes Curry, James Harden, DeMar DeRozan, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Joel Embiid. Curry’s reserves will be Damian Lillard, Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green, Kyle Lowry, Klay Thompson, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Al Horford.

While James’ team includes just one current teammate (Love), he selected his former teammate Irving to start the game. It will be the first time James and Irving are on the same team since Game 5 of the 2017 NBA Finals.

“To be able to team up back with Kyrie is always special, along with Kevin Love,” James said after the rosters were finalized (via NBA on TNT). “For us to have another weekend to bring back the memories that we had when we were all together [is special].”

James’ team will also reunite Durant and Westbrook for the second time in as many All-Star weekends. Both men suited up for the Western Conference last season but were on the court for a combined 82 seconds, per ESPN’s Royce Young.

Meanwhile, Curry’s team boasts two of his Warriors teammates in Green and Thompson. While James’ team has the size advantage, Curry’s team has more shooters. All told, Curry said he is happy with his picks, particularly the four men he will start with.

“I got a good history with DeMar and James playing on Team USA world championship teams with them,” Curry said. “Joel is obviously a future All-Star for plenty more years to come, this is his first go-around. Maybe one day that weekend he’ll take over my Twitter account and say some jokes for me.”

Kyrie Irving Reportedly Threatened To Undergo Surgery If Not Traded By Cavs

January 25th, 2018 at 3:04pm CST by Luke Adams

After requesting a trade from the Cavaliers in the offseason, Kyrie Irving threatened to undergo knee surgery that would sideline him for most or all of the 2017/18 season if the Cavs didn’t move him, multiple sources tell Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com. That threat convinced Cleveland’s front office and owner Dan Gilbert that the relationship wasn’t salvageable, according to Vardon.

Sources tell Vardon that Irving will likely need to have knee surgery at some point as a follow-up to the procedure he underwent during the 2015 NBA Finals. That surgery isn’t considered urgent, but would ease some swelling and day-to-day pain in Irving’s knee. An NBA player would typically play through that discomfort and undergo such a procedure in the offseason. But Irving threatened to miss training camp in the fall and have that surgery performed during the 2017/18 season if he remained a Cav, as Vardon’s sources tell it.

After Irving’s trade request first became public, LeBron James‘ camp didn’t do much to dismiss the notion of a possible rift between the two star Cavaliers. However, multiple sources tell Vardon that James eventually asked the Cavs front office not to move Irving, suggesting that he could mend the necessary fences.

In response, the Cavaliers informed James that – given the threat of knee surgery – they felt they had no choice but to trade Irving, which didn’t sit well with LeBron, according to Vardon. The Cleveland.com reporter notes that Irving has major endorsement deals to consider and may have risked hurting the growth of his brand by missing the season. In other words, one could make the case that the team should have called the point guard’s bluff.

Assuming Vardon’s info is accurate – and there’s no reason at this point to assume it’s not – the timing of the leak is worth considering. The Cavs’ season has hit a low point within the last week, and the decision to send Irving to the Celtics looks more questionable than ever. It’s possible that word of Irving’s alleged threat has surfaced in Cleveland now in an effort to give the front office some cover for a trade that increasingly looks like a mistake.

LeBron Upset Cavs Didn’t Add George, Bledsoe?

January 24th, 2018 at 8:43pm CST by Arthur Hill

Amid all the problems plaguing the Cavaliers this month, one underlying issue is LeBron James‘ frustration with the front office over not upgrading the roster, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN. Appearing on The Lowe Post podcast with ESPN’s Zach Lowe, Windhorst said James saw that the Cavs had a chance to land Paul George and Eric Bledsoe and was angry when both players ended up elsewhere.

Cleveland reportedly came close to acquiring George in a three-team trade shortly before the Pacers shipped him to the Thunder in early July. A deal was in place to trade Kevin Love to Denver in exchange for Gary Harris and the No. 13 pick, which the Cavaliers would have sent to Indiana to get George. Pacers president Kevin Pritchard had second thoughts about the trade and backed out before it was finalized.

The Cavaliers were also rumored to have interest in Bledsoe, who was among James’ summer workout partners and shares an agent in Rich Paul. Instead the Suns sent him to Milwaukee in exchange for little-used Greg Monroe and two draft picks.

“I’m sure if [Cavaliers owner] Dan Gilbert would ever speak freely, he probably never will, but he would say, ‘Well, I needed LeBron to commit past this year if I was going to trade, and LeBron wouldn’t commit, so therefore it’s LeBron’s fault this didn’t happen,'” Windhorst said. “Everybody’s going to have their own story. I’m just telling you that LeBron is there and he’s like, ‘We could have had Eric Bledsoe and Paul George, and instead we have a draft pick who I’m never going to meet [Brooklyn’s unprotected first-rounder] — Well, I don’t know about that, but I’m not meeting him this year — we have Isaiah Thomas, who is very clearly hampered and we have Jae Crowder, who’s having the worst year of his career.”

This offseason was the first for rookie GM Koby Altman, who was hired to replace David Griffin in late July. James had been a vocal defender of Griffin and questioned why the team refused to give him a new contract last season.

Cavaliers Notes: LeBron, Lue, Love, Thomas

January 20th, 2018 at 7:58pm CST by Arthur Hill

LeBron James offered a tepid endorsement of his coach after the Cavaliers gave up 148 points in today’s loss to the Thunder. In a clip tweeted by Cleveland.com, James responds to a reporter asking whether Tyronn Lue should be fired after the team dropped to 2-6 in its last eight games.

“I would hope not, but really don’t know,” James said. “I don’t know what’s going to happen with our team. I have no idea what conversations have been going on. I’ve been trying to stay as laser sharp as I can to keep my guys ready to go out and play.”

Lue signed a five-year, $35MM extension in 2016 after leading the Cavs to their first NBA title. Firing Lue would mean swallowing a lot of money for owner Dan Gilbert, who is already committed to a massive team salary and large luxury tax payments each year. Lue has a 105-63 record since taking over for David Blatt midway through the 2015/16 season.

There’s more news out of Cleveland:

The Cavaliers have been at the center of several trade rumors, but Lue doesn’t believe a deal is necessary, relays Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com. DeAndre Jordan, Lou Williams and George Hill are among the names that have recently been connected to Cleveland. “I like the group that we have,” Lue said before today’s game. “We just haven’t been healthy the whole year, have had to do some different things, but I’m just focused on coaching the guys that we have. I like our group, any further questions with that you’ll have to talk with [GM] Koby [Altman]. Sorry.”
Kevin Love‘s usage percentage has dropped significantly since Isaiah Thomas returned from a hip injury, raising the question of whether they can be effective in the same lineup, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. “Whoever has it going or whoever is open should get the basketball, so it’s really not an option thing,” Lue said. “Kevin’s been great all year and we got to continue to get him touches and continue to feature him, no matter who’s on the floor.”
The Cavs are reluctant to part with the unprotected Brooklyn pick, and ESPN’s Kevin Pelton doesn’t see anyone on the market worth trading it for. Cleveland got the selection from Boston in the Kyrie Irving deal and would like to keep it as insurance in case James leaves again in free agency. The pick is almost guaranteed to land in the lottery as the Nets are tied for seventh in our current Reverse Standings.