DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Tailgate Forum Cavs, NBA Continued .....

You make a good argument, but I disagree w/you on Thompson only getting those numbers because we missed a record number of shots. The guy is relentless and his numbers went up because he got more PT.

I also disagree that TT gets in the way of LeBron and that no one has to guard him. That was the strategy early in the playoffs and he made them pay by dominating the boards. Teams were forced to keep a man on him at all times.

I am not arguing w/you about Love and his importance to our team. Heck, I remembering arguing w/you and most of the regulars on this forum about trading for him last year. And yeah, that same poster said I lacked basketball knowledge. LOL

Keeping Moz, Love, and TT would help this team tremendously.

Still haven't heard your thoughts on the PG position.

OK, let's say that you are right, and that Thompson's numbers went up only because he got more playing time. If both Love and Mozgov are healthy, is Thompson going to get more playing time, or less? I suspect that he will get less playing time than he did in the Finals

You misunderstand my point. It is not that players left Thompson down low, it is that they could stay down low, because Thompson is no threat away from the basket.

OK, we will have Lebron, Love, and Irving all on max deals. Then we add Thompson and Mozgov (potentially, next year) on max deals as well. That is 5 players with max deals, all on the same team. How does that work? You want a new backup PG, so how do we get one if we have that much tied up in 5 players? How do we add anything if we have this much tied up in 5 players. Plus, we have Andy on a $10 million deal .... and we have to re-sign Shumpert. JR is a lost cause at this point. There is no way the cavaliers give him a long term deal, and there is no way they invest huge money in him.

We have a great PG in Irving. We have a useful backup in Delly. We are in a unique position, in that Lebron runs the team when he is in the game.

I am no cap guy. In fact, I know almost nothing about it.

But you can't really replace guys like Love and TT. They are rare. Also, how are the Spurs able to keep their big 3? How did Miami afford paying their Big 3? How did the Lakers have so many superstars for so long? What about the Celtics? Aren't there ways around the cap?

Kyie gets hurt all the time. Delly is nothing more than a 5-6 minute guy. We are NOT going to win the championship w/him as our starter in the case of Kyrie going down. [quote]

So what do you propose then? Because you already want to hand out 4 max contracts, we would be way over the apron and can't sign anyone to anything more than a vet minimum. I'd love to have a great backup point guard too. I'd also love a Lamborghini in the driveway.

[quote]Look........I am all about winning it next year. We gotta do all we can to have the right guys in place. I think that we'll have guys come here to play w/LeBron and the chance to win a championship for the next few years and that the cap thing is not nearly as important as you are making it out to be.

San Antonio is a bad example..

Duncan only makes like 10 mil.. By choice..

Your tone is snooty, and yes, I can interpret tone. I have tried to be respectful towards you, but your arrogance and superior posting style is annoying.

Your tone is snooty, and yes, I can interpret tone. I have tried to be respectful towards you, but your arrogance and superior posting style is annoying.

You were one of the guys ripping me about Blatt's offense and wanting to trade for Love. You--and that little group--were making up all kinds of excuses why getting Love would be a bad idea. How did that work out for you?

You're still playing that "I know everything" angle.

We'll see how it works out. I say TT stays. I say they go hard at winning a championship next year.

Generally I wouldn't agree with this, but when I see posters capitalizing one word per sentence it does project yelling and an arrogant tone of voice. It annoys me as well, and reminds me of that one weird guy who loved Brady Quinn.

Ytown, I like the Bible verse you chose.

That's probably why I see you take offense to everyone on here. Every time someone disagrees with you, you think they are being snooty and disrespectful to you. Sorry, I don't know what to tell you. How are we supposed to disagree with you without you thinking we're talking down to you?

Just think if Lebron, Kyrie, and Loves contracts only totaled 30 million..

Cavs roundtable: Five burning questions as Cleveland hits offseason


The first year of having LeBron James back in a Cleveland Cavaliers uniform saw a lot of changes, a lot of progress, some big success, some crushing failure, and the typical turmoil that seems to come with territory of a LeBron-led team. The Cavs overhauled their roster in the offseason, added key components during a seemingly disastrous beginning to the season, and then found their way into the NBA Finals. Unfortunately for them, they simply didn't have enough health or firepower to defeat the Golden State Warriors.

As they head into the summer, they have a lot of questions to answer. Kevin Love, LeBron James and J.R. Smith will be unrestricted free agents. Tristan Thompson will be a restricted free agent looking to cash in on an amazing playoff run. David Blatt's name can't stay away from the hot seat, despite coaching a team to the Finals in his first season in the NBA. With so many questions about this Cavs team, we took them to a roundtable of our writers looking for answers.

1. Will Kevin Love return to the Cavs and is it a good decision for both sides?

Ken Berger: On one hand, there is the perfect opportunity for the two sides to go their separate ways. The Cavs made it to a sixth game of the NBA Finals without Love, and he will have plenty of opportunities to go elsewhere with a max deal and a leading role. Throw in the fact that Love stands to lose little financially by leaving if he signs a short deal and becomes a free agent again in 2016 or '17, and the stars certainly seemed aligned for an amicable divorce. However, two factors point strongly toward it being in both sides' interests for Love to stay, at least on a short-term deal: 1) Given how competitive the Cavs were in the Finals without Love and Kyrie Irving, isn't it reasonable to assume that they would've at least forced a seventh game, or even won the series, if he'd been healthy? And 2) The Cavs gave up Andrew Wiggins for him, so it would be tough to justify letting him walk for nothing. Prediction: Love opts out and re-signs with the Cavs with the same length as LeBron James' new deal.

Zach Harper: First and foremost, the fact that the Cavs didn't win the championship without Kevin Love in the lineup means they have to bring him back. Had they won the title and persevered through all those injuries (especially to Love), they'd have years built-in excuses to fall back on if they let him walk and he went on to be successful somewhere else. Once a title is delivered to the Cavs, no matter what the circumstances or fallout are, this organization gets a reprieve for everything it goes through afterward. However, they didn't win the title.

That's only damning if the Cavs lose Love to free agency just one year after giving up the Rookie of the Year Andrew Wiggins for him. That's a PR nightmare, even with LeBron back. Love would also be foolish to leave LeBron the next two years because his offensive load may never be easier. He's essentially a floor-spacer for James and could be a much bigger part of the offense moving forward. That's a scary thought. When Love was on the court with James and Kyrie Irving, this team was historically absurd on offense. It would behoove Love to stick around for at least another season, receive passes from LeBron, and then start listening to see if Russell Westbrook might leave for the Lakers in 2017. Then he can figure out an exit strategy, but not now.

Ananth Pandian: Kevin Love has repeatedly said that he wants to return to the Cavs but with the chance to make more money, so there should be no doubt that he will opt out of his contract. Even Cavaliers GM David Griffin is expecting Love to opt out. However, Griffin also believes that Love will re-sign with Cleveland, especially since the Cavs have his Bird Rights, which means they can pay him a little bit more than any other team. This is a big reason why Love will in all likelihood return to Cleveland -- he can make more money and be part of very successful team.

Of course, Love did have an up-and-down season in Cleveland. He is probably not best friends with LeBron James and his first year with the Cavs ended with an injury. Still, the Cavs ended the regular season 33-5 with Love, James and Kyrie Irving in the lineup. They also handled the Boston Celtics quite easily in the first three games of the first round before Love's Game 4 injury. While the Cavs were able to dominate the rest of the Eastern Conference playoffs without Love, once they got to the Finals, he was clearly missed.

Love may be able to find a larger role on another team, but why would he forfeit the chance to play alongside the "best player in the world" on a team that just made it to the NBA Finals?

2. Is David Blatt the right coach for Cleveland moving forward?

Berger: It's hard to argue with a coach who was able to get his team to the sixth game of the Finals without two All-Stars and a third starter, Anderson Varejao. But the dynamic between Blatt and James clearly is not ideal, and James is the one holding all the cards. He'll have to be careful, though, to avoid the perception that he made the call and ran Blatt out of town. Given all that is public record about their uneasy relationship, that will be extremely difficult to pull off. When a coaching change is pondered, I always ask, who's the replacement? You have Tom Thibodeau, Jeff Van Gundy and, of course, Mark Jackson, who is represented by Rich Paul's Klutch Sports agency. But unless Dan Gilbert were able to lure Mike Krzyzewski or John Calipari from Duke or Kentucky, respectively, it's hard to envision a succession plan that wouldn't be messy. Gut feeling: Blatt stays, but if LeBron isn't happy next season, he's replaced in short order by associate head coach Tyronn Lue.

Harper: In a way, I truly believe he Blatt is the right coach for Cleveland. I also think he mismanaged many parts of his first season coaching in the NBA. The offense was good but it wasn't tailored to the star weaponry he had at his disposal. He had two of the best pick-and-roll attackers in the league with maybe the best pick-and-pop power forward in basketball and yet didn't utilize that set nearly enough. The Cavs ranked 21st in possessions in which the pick-and-roll man was utilized. Considering they were ninth and fourth, respectively, in scoring out of that set, we should have seen them run those plays to death.

Where I think Blatt fits with this team, at least for the time being, is he seems comfortable dealing with the media, no matter how he comes off. His confidence is unshakeable and he has a good coaching staff surrounding him. He also has one of the best coaches on the court in LeBron, though that would be true of any Cavs coach at the moment. Even if rumors of that situation becoming untenable pop up from time to time, you know he can take the heat. But he needs to find ways to maximize his weapons while not giving up the defensive progress they made in the playoffs.

Pandian: In his first season coaching the Cleveland Cavaliers, his first time coaching in the NBA, David Blatt won 53 games in the regular season, only lost twice in the conference playoffs and then made it to the NBA Finals. He did all of this in spite of constant rumors about his job and the headstrong nature of LeBron James. Of course, James is the main reason the Cavs were so successful this season but Blatt should get some of the credit as well.

Blatt should get another season with the Cavs, mainly so he can show that he can learn from his mistakes and further develop his relationship with James. Remember, James clashed with Erick Spolestra when he played in Miami but after a couple of years together, they got on the same page and won two championships. There is no reason why the same thing can't happen between Blatt and James in Cleveland.

LeBron James will presumably be back in Cleveland. Who will join him?. (Getty Images) LeBron James will presumably be back in Cleveland. Who will join him? (Getty Images)

3. J.R. Smith could be a free agent and wants to return. Should the Cavs want him back?

Berger: With the Cavs operating above the so-called "apron," or $4 million above the tax line, the reality is that Smith might be a better option than anyone they could replace him with using the exceptions they'll have available. They won't have access to the bi-annual exception, and the $3.4 million taxpayer mid-level won't get them a player who can do what Smith can do. Of course, J.R. giveth and J.R. taketh away, and the tax implications of re-signing him might make finding a cheaper option more appealing. When the free agency action slows, there will be no shortage of veterans willing to play for the minimum for a chance to chase a title with LeBron. And many of them might be more reliable than J.R., not to mention cheaper.

Harper: If you never saw J.R. Smith play in the NBA Finals for the Cavs, you'd have walked away from this season glowing about how big of an acquisition he was for this team. While Timofey Mozgov mid-season pickup, Smith fit perfectly in terms of stretching the floor and providing those scoring binges we love to tune in for.

Unfortunately for Smith, he was absymal in the Finals. Bottom line: If you don't have to go much higher than what his current salary (player option for $6.3 million for next season) is, the Cavs would probably be advised to bring him back.

Pandian: There may be no player more streaky in the NBA than J.R. Smith. His performance in the NBA Finals was woeful as the Cavs just could not count on Smith when they truly needed him. He did play quite well throughout the playoffs, however, even setting a Cavs franchise record with eight 3-pointers against the Atlanta Hawks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. But this is exactly what we've come to expect from Smith throughout his career. You have to take the good with the bad.

For the Cavs, this is what they have to consider in choosing whether to re-sign Smith. He may be streaky but Smith can help your team win a quarter or even a game all by himself. Question is: will they need that kind of firepower with a healthy Kyrie Irving and, presumably, Kevin Love back in the fold? Probably not, though scoring punch off the bench is a luxury no team can deny. In the end, role off the bench in Cleveland is the best fit for bothSmith and the Cavs, who should bring him back if his contract expectations aren't too high.

4. Do you give Tristan Thompson a max deal with Love and Mozgov on the team?

Berger: Therein lies the dilemma for Gilbert, who would have four max players on the team -- two of whom play the same position. Would there be enough minutes for Love, Thompson and Mozgov to justify it? That will be for the Blatt (or the new coach) to figure out. Could Love be packaged in a sign-and-trade with the non-guaranteed contract of Brendan Haywood in a deal with a team that has cap room? Stranger things have happened. How the Cavs use Haywood's contract this summer will be one of the most interesting storylines, and could help them solve some of these problems.

Harper: There is no getting around paying Tristan Thompson what he's looking for in free agency. He and LeBron share the same agent, and all year long they've been playing up his importance, which was undeniable in the playoffs. Thompson's rebounding, particularly on the offensive end, is a major plus, and his defense was the key to slowing down Steph Curry as much as they could in the Finals. He outplayed the entire Atlanta Hawks' frontcourt in the Eastern Conference finals.

You can afford to pay Thompson this kind of money for two years while Mozgov is at a bargain of a rate (team option for under $5 million next season) and Love is playing the salary cap explosion waiting game. But you have to keep an eye on either moving Love via trade or letting him go by 2017 in order to not take on truly roster crippling luxury tax penalities, unless there is a huge change to the CBA in 2017.

Pandian: Tristan Thompson blossomed in the playoffs after Love went down with an injury. Grabbing offensive rebound after offensive rebound, Thompson made a name for himself on the big stage, often appearing in postgame press conferences as one of the marquee players on the Cavs. He will surely earn a big payday this summer.

If Love returns to the team, Thompson will more than likely be the team's sixth man again but he played great in this role during the regular season. Love is a better scorer than Thompson and gives James another scoring option on the floor, while Thompson is the better defender and will be inserted in place of Love when the Cavs would need his length and activity. With Timofey Mozgov holding down the center spot, a two-man tandem of Love and Thompson will provide the Cavs with depth, scoring and rebounding at the power forward position.

Mozgov, Love and Thompson is a fearsome threesome in the East and the Cavs should do whatever they can to keep that unit together.

5. The Cavs are the favorites to win the NBA title right now. Should they be?

Berger: It's a pretty safe bet that if Love and Irving had been healthy, the Cavs would have at least push the NBA Finals to a Game 7, and they might well have won the whole thing. But is that enough to establish the Cavs as favorites to win next year? There are too many unanswered questions. Will an active free-agent summer shift some of the balance of power from West to East, making the Cavs' road to the Finals more difficult? Will the Spurs bring back Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili, re-sign Kawhi Leonard and land a top-flight free agent? Will Kevin Durant return to form, making the Thunder as dangerous as any team in the West, including the Warriors? A lot could happen between now and mid-July to change Vegas' mind.

Harper: I don't think you can determine a favorite for the NBA Finals next year because we haven't even hit the draft yet, let alone sunk our teeth into free agency. However, if they bring back this core and it stays healthy, you'd have to say the Cavs have as good a chance as anybody. The Warriors are likely to bring back their crew and will be looking to repeat with even more experience under their belts.

I'll give the nod to the Warriors, but this Cavs team could be scary at full strength.

Pandian: Of course they should be the favorite. They have LeBron James.


http://www.cbssports.com/nba/eye-on-bask...-hits-offseason

The Cavaliers can keep their team together, but it'll cost a ton of money


The Cleveland Cavaliers won't have long to dwell on falling short in the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors. With several key players set to hit free agency and the need to keep building around LeBron James and his desire to compete for titles annually, the offseason looms large even after the successes of the past year.

James, Kevin Love, Tristan Thompson, Iman Shumpert, J.R. Smith and Matthew Dellavedova could all be free agents, either restricted or unrestricted, by July 1. That's not as bad as it sounds because many of those players are locks to return, but retaining them will push the Cavaliers' payroll to well over $100 million, making it difficult to add more talent.

LeBron is the top priority, and there's little reason to believe his future with the team is in danger at this point. Even if the forward opts out of his 2015-16 player option, it's expected that he'll sign another short-term deal with the Cavaliers to continue maintaining flexibility going forward.

Either way, the Cavaliers know they have their franchise player for a limited window and needs to keep giving him reasons to stay. The way to do that is give him a better roster than the one he had against Golden State. The core of LeBron and Kyrie Irving is sure to remain intact, but otherwise general manager David Griffin has a lot of issues to solve.

Kevin Love

Like James, Love has a player option for 2015-16 that he's expected to decline. There has been a lot of speculation about the 26-year-old leaving this summer following an up-and-down debut year in Cleveland. He and James in particular didn't hit it off as expected and his role in the Cavaliers' offense was minimal for a player with his talents.

Publicly, Love has been consistent in committing to the Cavaliers. On May 31, Love said he expected to suit up for the Cavaliers on opening day next season. A week later, he doubled down when asked again about his plans. But that's not going to stop teams from coming after him if he does opt out.

What's less certain is the kind of deal Love receives if he stays with the Cavaliers. Does he follow James' lead and take a short-term contract in hopes of cashing in when the salary cap booms in a couple years as expected? Or, does he go for the five-year maximum and take the job security? There are several options on the table, and whichever one Love chooses could impact the team's ability to spend more elsewhere.


The Cavaliers offered Thompson a four-year, $52 million deal last offseason, but he declined in favor of playing out his rookie contract. That decision that looks to be paying off for the 24-year-old, who seems likely to command an even bigger dollar figure this summer as a restricted free agent following a breakout playoff performance.

Thompson shares an agent and a strong personal relationship with LeBron, two reasons to believe that the Cavaliers will figure out a way to keep him long-term. James told reporters that "Tristan should probably be a Cavalier for his whole career. There's no reason why he shouldn't" during the conference finals, and management is surely aware of those comments.

Retaining one of LeBron's favorite teammates is an easy way to keep James happy. At the very least, the Cavaliers know they can keep Thompson for next season on a one-year, $7.1 million qualifying offer, but that would allow him to hit unrestricted free agency next season. Expect the team to try to work out a long-term contract with Thompson, or match any offer sheet extended by another team. That contract could be for much more than the $52 million one he turned down last summer.

Delly, Shump and J.R.

We know Irving will be the Cavaliers' starting point guard next season. The mystery is figuring out who will join him in the backcourt, with Dellavedova and Shumpert set to hit restricted free agency and Smith expected to decline his 2015-16 player option. Dellavedova and Shumpert are restricted free agents, while Smith is unrestricted.

It's possible the team will lose at least one of these players by the end of the summer, especially if Smith decides to pursue a lucrative long-term deal on the open market. Cleveland may want Smith back, but only at the right price.

It's also possible Dellavedova or Shumpert receives a sizable offer sheet from another team, putting the Cavaliers in the difficult position of matching a figure larger than expected or letting the player go for nothing. The odds of that happening aren't likely after the duo struggled to end the Finals, but it's another element the team will have to consider this summer.
Filling out the roster

Assuming LeBron, Love and the restricted free agents stay, the Cavaliers' biggest challenge for the offseason will be adding to their bench. A healthy core of LeBron, Love, Irving, Shumpert, Thompson and Timofey Mozgov is very strong, so the goals are to keep that group together and make upgrades to the rest of the roster.

The NBA Finals showed that James badly needs more help. Most of that next season should come from getting Irving, Love and Anderson Varejao back, but adding more depth will be important after being undermanned during the Finals.

If Smith leaves through free agency, the team will need help on the wings even with Shumpert still around. Veterans like James Jones, Mike Miller and Shawn Marion just didn't cut it in the playoffs, and the team can't possibly go into next season banking on aging players to be in their rotation. Miller and Jones always seems to stick with LeBron, but the team needs more than they can provide.

The Cavaliers will have to get creative, however, given the amount of money that will be on the books from other players. The team must shell out well over $100 million to keep its core together next season. That'll be the highest payroll in the league and command a massive luxury tax bill. How the team will add to the bench beyond that is hard to say, though it likely involves pitching veterans the chance at winning a title at dirt cheap salaries. The Cavaliers also have Brendan Haywood's $10 million non-guaranteed contract to use as a trade asset.

Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert has said he would be willing to spend, but this summer will test those words. The Cavaliers will be good enough to contend next season if they can just tweak this roster and stay healthy. It just won't be cheap.

http://www.sbnation.com/2015/6/17/879565...vin-love-rumors

we gotta bring back love, TT. that's #1 and #2 priority. i said that cause everybody know's lebron is gonna get his bread.

Without TT, we get swept in the finals.

Shump and JR......i would bring them back, but only if we develop or get a better #2 pg. somebody capable of creating his own shots. Smith can, but we really need him to be a 6-7th man...not playing a ton of minutes unless he's hot.

I'm torn on Delly. I love the guy....but.....

Delly, Shump and J.R.

We know Irving will be the Cavaliers' starting point guard next season. The mystery is figuring out who will join him in the backcourt, with Dellavedova and Shumpert set to hit restricted free agency and Smith expected to decline his 2015-16 player option. Dellavedova and Shumpert are restricted free agents, while Smith is unrestricted.

that goes totally against his priority of becoming the first billionaire athelete. He's a selfish dude, I don't think he'll take a pay cut, if he did and love did, we could really fix our bench. Hell might even be able to snag Wade in a sign and trade with haywood, 14 mil might be enough for wade rental for a couple years

Everything you need to know about the Cavs and future salaries
byJacob Rosen inCavaliers


We get a lot of questions. From our comment section, from Twitter, from emails, from everywhere. And in the past – as evidenced in July with a Kevin Love trade explainer – we’ve compiled some of those questions into FAQ posts. Recently, we’ve been getting a bunch of questions about the Cleveland Cavaliers and their future payroll decisions. There are lot of players and roster decisions up in the air this summer, so it can be a difficult task to sort through all of the minutiae.

That’s why we’re here to help. This builds off previous posts about Kyrie Irving’s maximum contract and Brendan Haywood’s quirky deal, so those links also could be good 101 materials.

Q: So, can the Cavaliers even afford to keep possible free agent Kevin Love, given the max contracts to Kyrie Irving (guaranteed) and LeBron James (assumed)?

A: Yes, absolutely. By acquiring Love via trade with Minnesota, the Cavaliers also took on his very important Bird Rights. As Larry Coon writes in his CBA FAQ, “With very few exceptions, all salaries are included in team salary. The Bird exception simply enables a team to exceed the cap to sign certain players.” So while it might not seem possible at first for the Cavs to sign three players to maximum contracts, they’re afforded this possibility through this exception.

As a reminder, Kevin Love holds a $16,744,219 player option for the 2015-16 season. As a seven-year player, and given next year’s expected $67.1 million salary cap, a new maximum contract would start at about $18,960,174 in year one1. This means that Love would make just over $2 million more next season by not using his player option and signing a new max deal, even of the one-year variety à la LeBron this past summer.

With Love at about $18.9 million, Kyrie Irving at about $15.8 million, and LeBron James at either $21.5 million or $22.1 million (depending upon his opt-out decision), that’s over $56 million for three players alone. That leaves less than $11 million more in “space” under the salary cap. This is what leads to the complicated salary math for every other player the Cavs might be able to retain heading into next season.

Q: Given those likely max salaries to the Big Three, what could the Cavs possibly offer the red-hot Tristan Thompson as a restricted free agent?

A: We all likely recall the January rumor that Tristan Thompson — and, of course, his agent Rich Paul — turned down a four-year $52 million offer from the Cavaliers last summer. As an incoming fourth-year NBA player, Thompson and the Cavs had a window from July 1 to Oct. 30 to negotiate a possible long-term contract extension. When midnight struck on Nov. 1 with no deal, Thompson was set to become a restricted free agent at the end of the 2014-15 season.

Now, after Thompson’s breakout playoff performance, the floor of a possible long-term contract is expected to be that four-year $52 million offer . The other important anchor is the approximately four-year, $67.5 million maximum offer sheet that another team could extend his way2. One might recall how this played out with Utah and Charlotte over restricted free agent Gordon Hayward last summer when the Jazz had three days to match the Hornets’ max offer.

Of course, the Cavaliers could end up signing Tristan to a deal larger than that top offer sheet from another team. This is what happened with Golden State and fellow 2011 draftee Klay Thompson last summer with a four-year, $70 million deal that was not an offer sheet nor technically a maximum contract. Without any other indications, I’d currently expect some new contract for the Canadian forward at four years and in the mid-$60 million range.

Q: What’s up with Iman Shumpert’s future? Why again were the New York Knicks so eager to trade away him and J.R. Smith?

A: On the Knicks: They’re striving for as much cap space as possible this summer. Smith owns a $6.4 million player option for 2015-16 that, if used, could have prevented them from having maximum salary space. Thus, the Knicks were looking for any takers. Similar to the Cavs and desiring to dump Jarrett Jack’s $6.3 million contract, the price was a young versatile rotation player (Tyler Zeller in Cleveland’s case3, Iman Shumpert in New York’s.)

With Tristan Thompson, the Cavaliers have a $6.8 million qualifying offer they could extend his way in some form. With Shumpert, selected 13 picks later in the 2011 first round, his qualifying offer is $3.7 million. Both offers are likely way off from the true market value of both players. I’d be very surprised to see what happened with Detroit and Greg Monroe with his signed qualifying offer happen with either of these two players.

Shumpert is a soon-to-be-25-year-old defensive stopper who has showcased impressive offense in these playoffs. Of all players on Cleveland’s roster, I’ve been most skeptical of the team’s ability to retain him long term. Conceivably, I could see perhaps a two-year $20 million deal. But some recent comparables might be Avery Bradley (four-year, $32 million extension with Boston) and Alec Burks (four-year, $42 million extension with Utah).

Q: All right, enough already. Give us some projections for those players above. Where does that leave the Cavs in 2015-16? Where would it leave them for future seasons?

A: Starting at the very beginning: The Cavs have only four players (!) with 100 percent guaranteed contracts for only $27.4 million next season. These four players are Kyrie Irving (start of rookie max extension), Anderson Varejao (signed to three-year, $30 million deal last summer), the No. 24 pick in this year’s first round (with guaranteed first-year slot), and Joe Harris (second-rounder last year). That’s it for totally guaranteed deals.

You’d certainly expect the Cavs to pick up Timofey Mozgov’s $4.95 million team option. That’s an absolute no-brainer. From there, LeBron, Love, J.R. Smith, and Mike Miller (possible retirement?) all have player option decisions to make. Tristan, Shumpert, and Matthew Dellavedova are restricted free agents with set qualifying offers. And Brendan Haywood has his quirky $10.5 million unguaranteed contract until July 31. This leads to a ton of uncertainty.

Using a Cavs salary spreadsheet scenario that I built, here”s a “default” setting, with Haywood’s contract set at “release” as the only change.
wfny cavs 2015-16 salary_default

In this “default” setting, the Cavs are up to $91.5 million in 2015-16 salaries4. They’re already over the cap apron (set $4 million over the tax line), preventing them from acquiring players in sign-and-trades and can only use a smaller mid-level exception. But major roster decisions still need to be made.

My predictions: LeBron opts out and re-signs new one-year max contracts in 2015 and 2016, then signs a long-term max in 2017; Love opts in and re-signs a new long-term max in 2016; Tristan signs a four-year, $67.5 million contract; Shumpert signs a two-year, $20 million contract; J.R. Smith picks up his $6.4 million player option; Dellavedova signs a two-year, $6 million contract; and Haywood is released because of further tax concerns.

Here is then the “predicted” setting in my Cavs salary spreadsheet and the future implications:
wfny cavs 2015-16 salary_predicted

These changes brought the Cavaliers to $109.2 million in 2015-16 salaries. Using my CBA Tax Calculator and the tax line of $81.6 million, that then equates to a $77.4 million tax bill. That would rank shy of Brooklyn’s record $90.6 million tax bill last season. The Cavs would dip to a much lower tax bill in 2016-17, but would have decisions pending on Smith, Mozgov, and Mike Miller. With all of the long-term contracts in place, they’d still be over the cap in 2017-18 as well.

The crucial long-term reminder: Starting next season, NBA teams are subject to a far more rigorous “repeater” tax rate if they were over the tax line in at least three of the previous four seasons. The Cavs ended up slightly over the tax this season, according to Spotrac. So if the Cavs were to be in the tax for a third straight season in 2016-17, that could lead to very significant tax payment consequences in future seasons. Staying under the tax in 2017-18 would a very high priority.

Q: Anything else up in the air this summer or beyond that should be of potential fan concern?

A: On Matthew Dellavedova: While Tristan and Shumpert have undoubtedly increased their summer paydays during the playoffs, Delly is the long-forgotten restricted free agent. What would another team potentially offer him for backup point guard duties? He’s a guy you’d love to have play on your team but would hate to play against, as Chicago and Atlanta have discovered. I’ve got him pegged at two years and $6 million; but perhaps up to three years and $12 million could make some sense.

On Brendan Haywood: Just because the Cavs acquired his unusual contract doesn’t mean they actually have to use it in a trade this offseason. As I’ve written before, incoming salaries from a Haywood deal could carry a 300 percent tax rate. It could be an even larger tax rate given new deals for Tristan, Shumpert, etc. This reminds me of the LeBron trade exception: it’s OK to just let it expire! A trade for a flexible asset can still be worthwhile, even if not eventually used in that initial way.

On Timofey Mozgov: Now this is another 12 months into the future, but it’s likely to be a topic of conversation during the 2015-16 season. What should the Cavs do with Timo long term? His $4.95 million team option will certainly be a nice bargain for one year. But then he’ll turn 30 in July 2016. Marcin Gortat, another starting center oft-benched in fourth quarters, signed a five-year $60 million deal as a 30-year-old last summer. With a rising cap, will Mozgov get even more than that?

How this was calculated: Max contracts are based off 42.14% of Basketball Related Income, as opposed to the 44.74% for the the salary cap formulation. Then, a seven-to-nine year veteran can receive up to 30 percent of that figure. ESPN Insider’s Amin Elhassan projected this value for Love at $18,922,200, just slightly lower than my figure. [↩]
How this was calculated: Another value of owning Bird Rights enables teams to offer 7.5 percent annual set increases in contracts, not the standard 4.5 percent increase. As a zero-to-six year veteran, Thompson can receive up to 25 percent of the BRI-adjusted salary cap in year one of a maximum deal. That would start at $15.8 million, whether with Cleveland or another team. Adding up the three maximum possible future years, and that set 4.5 percent annual increase, and you end up at about $67.5 million total from another team. Kyrie Irving signed a maximum rookie extension, valued approximately at five years and $90 million, which included the 7.5 percent increases and a special fifth year as Cleveland’s rookie max contract extension designated player. [↩]
For folks who might not remember, that three-way trade sent Zeller, Marcus Thornton, and a protected first-round pick to Boston; Jack and Sergey Karasev to Brooklyn; and a conditional second-round pick to Cleveland. It was all in the name of clearing max salary space for LeBron James, as was necessary. [↩]
For those playing close attention, this is indeed about $2 million more than I shared back in January. This is because of a corrected amount for Kyrie Irving, based on the estimated 2015-16 salary cap, and the guaranteed amount for the No. 24 pick. [↩]

http://www.waitingfornextyear.com/2015/06/cleveland-cavaliers-and-future-salaries-wfny-faqs/

that goes totally against his priority of becoming the first billionaire athelete. He's a selfish dude, I don't think he'll take a pay cut, if he did and love did, we could really fix our bench. Hell might even be able to snag Wade in a sign and trade with haywood, 14 mil might be enough for wade rental for a couple years

that goes totally against his priority of becoming the first billionaire athelete. He's a selfish dude, I don't think he'll take a pay cut, if he did and love did, we could really fix our bench. Hell might even be able to snag Wade in a sign and trade with haywood, 14 mil might be enough for wade rental for a couple years

Players have no obligation to take less money. I have never seen an owner take less money and give it to his colleagues.

Cleveland Cavaliers Scribbles about Kevin Love, Tristan Thompson, J.R. Smith and a big month of July -- Terry Pluto


CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Scribbles in my Cavaliers notebook the day after NBA Draft 2015 and with free agency coming on July 1:

1. I don't expect J.R. Smith to be back with the Cavs. He turned down his $6.4 million player option, and is looking for a raise with a long-term deal. I doubt the Cavs would want Smith on an extended contract. His emotions are on edge. He was one more flagrant foul away from being suspended in the playoffs. Smith is best on a short-term deal. Smith is an unrestricted free agent.

2. Now that the Cavs will have a huge payroll, they would much prefer to keep Iman Shumpert over Smith. Shumpert is a restricted free agent, meaning the Cavs can match any offer that he receives. They will extend the $3.9 million qualifying offer to the guard and try to work out a long-term deal.

3. Look for the Cavaliers to offer maximum contracts to both Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson. The two deals will be different because they are at different stages of their career. Love can receive a five-year deal in the $100 million range. The Cavs think Love will give it serious consideration. It's possible that Love will sign a "1-and-1" contract. It would pay him the maximum salary in 2015-16, and a one-year player option for 2016-17. An agent wants the player option just in case your client has a horrendous injury in 2015-16, so he can at least pocket a maximum salary for 2016-17.

4. The Cavs believe Love came to a comfort level with the team by the end of the season. He knows that this is his best place to contend for a title. The top contenders in the Western Conference don't have the salary cap room for him. It's only the struggling or lesser teams (the Lakers, Boston, etc) that may be able to find a way to fit Love into their cap.
The Cavs believe Love came to a comfort level with the team by the end of the season.

5. Love is coming off major shoulder surgery. His is expected to fully recover. He has also dealt with some back problems. Love missed seven regular season games in 2014-15. He missed five in 2013-14. He had a broken hand in 2012-13, missing 65 games. Injuries are a concern, but it's not as if he has been Anderson Varejao -- who simply can't stay healthy.

6. The summer of 2016 is the "Money Summer." It's when the salary cap is expected to increase by at least 30 percent. So a maximum contract to Love this summer is considerably less than a maximum deal a year from now. It's why LeBron James started the "1-and-1" deal last summer, and it's why he's expected to sign another contract like that this summer with the Cavs.

7. Thompson's long-term maximum deal would be about $70 million for four years. He is a restricted free agent, meaning the Cavs can match any offer that he receives from another team. Does Thompson play for a "qualifying offer" in the $7 million range and aim to be an unrestricted free agent in 2016 when they big money really flows? That's something his agent Rich Paul (who also represents James) will have to discuss with Thompson. It was Paul and his chief negotiator, Mark Termini, who helped James design the "1-and-1" contract approach last summer.

8. Paul's agency had two picks in the first round: Montrezl Harell (Houston) and Trey Lyles (Utah). The Cavs really like Thompson. As I wrote last November, they offered him slightly more than $50 million for four years. He turned it down. It looks like a very wise right now, especially after Thompson's strong showing in the playoffs. He averaged 13 rebounds a game in the Finals.

9. The Cavs have to trade Brendon Haywood's contract ($10.5 million not guaranteed) before August 2. They can use it to obtain a player who makes nearly $14 million. So that's why the Cavs are willing to let go of Smith. They may be able to find someone better.

10. Thursday's draft was just an appetizer. I wrote about what the Cavs did, and why they did it in another story. The real action starts in July with free agency.

http://www.cleveland.com/pluto/index.ssf/2015/06/cleveland_cavaliers_scribbles_24.html

ABOUT TRISTAN THOMPSON

The 6-foot-10 Thompson made a huge statement in the playoffs. He moved into the starting lineup when Love was injured.

During the regular season, Thompson averaged 8.5 points and 8.0 rebounds in 27 minutes a game. He started only 15 times.

But in the playoffs when he was needed, Thompson was a force -- averaging 9.6 points and 10.8 rebounds.

Most revealing were the NBA Finals. When production from players such as Smith, Shumpert and Dellavedova decreased, Thompson's production soared. He averaged 10 points and 13 rebounds, shooting 50 percent against Golden State.

Thompson is only 24. He has not missed a game in the last three seasons. Represented by Rich Paul (also the agent for James), Thompson turned down a four-year, $52 million offer from the Cavs before the start of the season.

His agents know that 2016 will lead to a huge salary cap increase. Thompson is restricted, meaning the Cavs can match any offer that he receives.

Remember this NBA truth: BIG MEN GET PAID BIG!

I was wondering if the Cavs shouldn't offer him a maximum contract, something like $70 million for four years.

Why do that for a player with obvious limitations on offense?

Because what is a maximum contract now may not be close to a maximum contract in the summer of 2016. If those estimates of a salary cap increase of 30 percent are true (because of the new television contract), it may be wise to give him the maximum now.

http://www.cleveland.com/pluto/index.ssf/2015/06/post_120.html#incart_related_stories

We are in agreement on this one.