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Cleveland Cavaliers signing Richard Jefferson is a boost for bench -- Terry Pluto (photos) | cleveland.com
http://www.cleveland.com/pluto/index.ssf/2015/07/cleveland_cavaliers_signing_ri.html#incart_m-rpt-1

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cavaliers signing Richard Jefferson to a veteran's minimum contract for one season?

Why not?

Bring in another shooter.

That obviously is the plan of General Manager David Griffin.

Griffin believes that opposing teams stack the lane against the Cavs, wanting to stop LeBron James and Kyrie Irving from driving to the rim. The main way to make those defenses suffer is to drill 3-point shots.

That's what made J.R. Smith so valuable last season.

In the regular season, only Houston attempted more 3-point shots than the Cavs. That's right, the Cavs even fired up more shots from beyond the arch than Golden State, which ranked No. 4.

More notable, the Cavs shot .367 on 3-pointers. That was No. 5 in the league. Golden State led at .398.

So the Cavs take a lot of 3-pointers, and they make a lot. And Jefferson will help continue that trend.

Once upon time, Jefferson was a 17-point scorer in his first seven NBA seasons with the Nets. Four times in his career, he's averaged at least 19 points a season.

But the athletic Jefferson has recreated himself as a stationary 3-point shooter. It's how you stay in the league for what will be his 15th season. Jefferson has shot at least 41 percent from 3-point range in six of his last seven season -- including .426 (66-of-155) with Dallas in 2014-15.

STILL NEED SMITH

The Cavs still need Smith, or someone such as Smith. Common sense says Smith returns to the Cavs.

Of course, common sense has not always ruled in the career of Smith. He should have taken the $6.4 million player option for 2015-16 and been back with the Cavs. Right now, his options are very limited. He may have to return to the Cavs on a contract cheaper than his $6.4 million option. We'll see.

Smith averaged 12.8 points in the postseason, shooting .403 from the field and .359 from 3-point range. He was a 50 percent shooter in the Atlanta and Chicago series. It was in The Finals that he faltered, shooting only .312 from the field.

It would appear that the only teams with salary cap room to give Smith a significant contract are Portland and Philadelphia. It's doubtful the always-building Sixers will sign Smith. I've not heard anything about Portland being interested.

BENCH PROTECTION

Jefferson will replace Shawn Marion, who fell out of favor with Coach David Blatt.

Blatt also likes shooters, and that wasn't Marion.

The 6-foot-7 Marion never left the bench in The Finals. He played a grand total of 25 minutes in the entire postseason. Marion retired after the season.

Mike Miller quickly picked up his player option for this season. The 6-foot-8 veteran is 35. He had a very frustrating season, shooting only 35 percent from the field -- 33 percent on 3-pointers. He was horrible on defense.

Miller played a total of 28 minutes in The Finals, attempting only two shots. He made one. He had one rebound, no assists. He was timid when on the court in terms of trying to impact the game.

It's hard to count on Miller for much. That's another reason Jefferson was signed. He replaces Marion, and hopefully can deliver more than Miller did in 2014-15.

At this stage of his career, Jefferson is not a heavy-duty player in terms of minutes.

But he can still play, both shooting guard and small forward. Dallas wanted him back for a second season. In fact, Jefferson committed to returning to the Mavs, but changed his mind when the Cavs offered him a chance to play for a title.

Dallas lost to Houston in five games in the first round of the playoffs. Jefferson played 51 postseason minutes, scoring 15 points and shooting 5-of-14 from the field. So he wasn't used that much, but the Mavericks at least believed he could help off the bench.

That was not case with Miller and Marion for the Cavs in the postseason.

So yes, Jefferson should be an upgrade.

well we just traded Christmas to Pacers for a 2019 pick...not sure about that one..only thing that tells me is maybe some headway has been made in the TT contract

Why can't we just cut Miller?

I know that NBA contracts are guaranteed, but wouldn't it have been better to have a young guy like Christmas on the bench who can come in and at least run round then a dude that's completely washed up. I mean, what's a few million dollars between friends?

Windy thinks a big trade is now in the works for Haywood's contract ..l lets hope

Break Windy is full of crap he is still breaking the LeBron to New York, Boston , California story

I suspect that we will have Thompson no matter what. No one is going to give him a max offer, because no one can. His best bet is to start the money rolling in this year, than to take the qualifying offer and trying to hit it big next year. I doubt that he'll make up that $10 million or whatever the difference is between the Cavaliers offer and whatever he is asking for.

I suspect that Christmas, as much as the team liked him, never really fit into the larger scheme. The team can really only afford 1-2 spots where they don't get immediate help, at the most.

I also think that they are going to work on bringing over Sasha Kahn. Moxgov, Love, Thompson, Andy, and Kahn are a nice rotation, and the team could offer Kahn more next year when the cap explodes if they want to keep him past this season. Maybe they offer him a 2 year deal with an option on the 2nd year. Who knows?

They also may have felt that they needed to acquire a 2nd round pick to use in a trade of the Haywood deal, where they can use that for a trade exemption, probably t the Sixers who are perfectly set up for such a trade. Or, possibly they have a trade in place for the Haywood deal, and we will see the non-guaranteed deals moving on out of here making room. I am not 100% sure how the trade exemptions work.

Anyway, I am pretty bummed that we won't have Christmas in Cleveland ..... but I understand the move.

Portland can offer Thompson a max deal, and they're in desperate need of bigs.

Have they?

Has there even been a suggestion that they have called him?

I mean, Philly could as well, and they have lost Embid for another season.

There are max players, and there are very good players who are not worth the complete max .... and Thompson is one of the latter IMHO. If Portland really wanted Thompson, they could call his agent and offer the max, sign an offer sheet, and force the Cavaliers hands.

As far as I know, they haven't even called Thompson's agent.

Just to add: Jones is officially back. KI think that he is a very useful guy, in a limited role.

Free agent James Jones, Cleveland Cavaliers agree to terms on one-year deal | cleveland.com
http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2015/07/james_jones.html

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Small forward James Jones has reached an agreement on a one-year deal to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers, league sources informed Northeast Ohio Media Group.

The contract, according to one source, is for the veteran's minimum. The paperwork was faxed Thursday to Jones, who is in Florida with family. The contract is expected to be signed and finalized as early as Friday.

Jones, 34, appeared in 57 games for the Cavaliers last season and averaged 4.4 points while shooting 36 percent from 3-point range. Last week in Las Vegas at the Players Awards Show, he told NEOMG, "I'll be back in Cleveland for sure."

He's one of the veteran players LeBron James trusts and vouched for in the summer of 2014. He's a rock inside the locker room, and his long-range catch-and-shooting ability blends well with Cleveland's cast of talented players.

The addition of Mo Williams, Richard Jefferson along with Tristan Thompson, J.R. Smith and Matthew Dellavedova -- assuming they're back – will dramatically enhance the Cavaliers' second unit this upcoming season.

So what does the Cavs roster even look like right now officially?

Lebron
Kyrie
Love
Shumpert
Mozgov
Jones
Mo Williams
Varejao
Miller
Jefferson
Harris

Pending
Dellavedova
Thompson
JR Smith

And I guess Haywood is still technically on the roster.

Is that it?

I just wanted to add one more thing.

Evidently the 2nd round pick we got from the Pacers is a 2019 2nd round pick they got from the Lakers.

I wonder what kind of pick that will be ..... with Kobe done by then.

We also have our other 2nd rounder pick, (not the overseas guy) and I would guess that the team is looking for a home for him as well, or will use him in a trade.

We also have the possibility of adding Sasha Kahn.

Other than that, I think that list is pretty comprehensive.

I know this isn't the topic of the day but it is on my mind.


I'm not very well versed in analyzing basketball..

But my gut says to me.. JR Smith just wasn't that useful in the finals. He's a hot and cold shooter, emotional, not the greatest on defense, and just not really a guy I want on the team. If Kyrie and Love didn't have injury histories I wouldn't even consider needing his offense for the most part.

I like consistent players. Delly is a high effort guy and you know what you're going to get and not going to get. With TT you know you'll get your rebounds and not much offense.

I like knowing what to expect from guys game in and game out. JR's streakiness really sours me to what he can bring to the team when every win matters. I don't honestly want him back as a starter getting any significant minutes. I'm not sure whatever options there are but I'd love a defensive guy (pardon the old references) like Ron Harper or Bruce Bowen. To some extent Shumpert is that guy who knows his role and plays it well.

I could be wrong but that is my gut feel on the guy.

If we bring back JR, it will be for him to be an off-the-bench spot shooter. And that's honestly where he excels. Shumpert got the starters money, he'll be the starter. JR is great to have on the team when he isn't expected to be the #2 option. And that's what he was in the finals. He reverted back to New York JR Smith. When he can just sit on the wing and let everyone else draw attention, he can really light things up. I think after the Finals, everyone forgot how crucial he was in that Chicago series.

The problem with using the finals as a barometer to gauge anything is that nobody was really doing the job they were intended to do.

I am kinda torn on JR.

Positives:

--We need outside shooters to make our offense work and we know that he can get incredibly hot.

--He will come at a reduced price.

--He isn't a terrible defender and he can snag some boards.

Negatives:

--He folded in the Finals.

--He is a weird dude. Blatt and LeBron handled him, but you never know if he is going to twist off or not.

I think his gamble failed and that bringing him back for the kind of money they are now talking about leads me to believe that we should keep him.

I have a question for those of you who are up on the cap and trade possibilities:

Is it feasible to trade Andy?

The reason I ask is I see real value in bringing in Sasha Kahn and we already have three awesome bigs in Mosgov, Love, and TT. I really like Andy, but I don't really think we need him and his salary is fairly large.

Would we be able to trade him for another perimeter player?

He's $10 million dollars a year for at least 2 years and coming off an Achilles tear and 4 other years of season ending injuries. I don't think we'll find many takers.

Our best bet is to just keep him and hope we can do the same things he always does. Coming off the bench, possibly playing PF instead of Center, and limiting his minutes might help him a lot. He's a pretty good player when he can stay on the floor.

LOL..........I guess I conveniently forgot about that part.

I believe that the problem with JR Smith was that he functions really well as a 3rd/4th option, but he struggles as the 2nd option.

This is the biggest reason I don't hold the finals against him whatsoever. That's not his game..He's a super-sub, 3 or 4 option and he excels there. He has majority of his career. I think he needs a new agent, I don't think Rose is looking out for JR's best interest. he thought JR would get paid..now he's going to cost his guy money. Finals aside, people forget how good he was the rest of the playoffs..the huge 4th quarter that allowed lebron to hit a game winner, the 28point barrage against hawks that really set the tone.

Bottom line is I think JR comes back on probably another 1 year deal in the 3-5 million dollar range. Another decent year and he'll get paid. Prob wont be with cleveland but hopefully he'll take that Championship ring and go chase money.

Trade


The Cleveland Cavaliers have agreed to trade Mike Miller and Brendan Haywood to the Portland Trail Blazers in a deal aimed to create future options and save luxury-tax money, sources told ESPN.com.

The Blazers will likely cut Haywood and could eventually work a buyout with Miller and will receive two future second-round picks from the Cavs for facilitating the deal with their cap space.

The Cavs will create two trade exceptions with the move, one for $10.5 million, which will be the largest active trade exception in the league, and the other for $2.94 million. The Cavs will also receive cash in the deal, sources said.


Long expected to be traded by the Cavaliers in order for the team to gain financial flexibility, Brendan Haywood was dealt with Mike Miller and draft picks to the Blazers, according to sources. David Richard/USA TODAY Sports
The Cavs have been dangling Haywood's contract, which is non-guaranteed if he's waived by Aug. 1, for weeks looking for an offer. But unable to find a player-based deal they liked, and concerned about the luxury tax, the team switched gears over the past two weeks and decided to make a move to create a trade exception. Last season, the Cavs successfully used a trade exception to acquire Timofey Mozgov from the Denver Nuggets in January.

Miller was a key signing last offseason because of his experience, 3-point-shooting ability and relationship with LeBron James. But he barely played in the second half of the season and playoffs, averaging 5.6 points and shooting just 33 percent from 3-point range.

The Cavs' trading of Miller was motivated by luxury-tax savings. Depending on where their final payroll lands, the Cavs could have saved roughly $10 million in salary and tax by offloading Miller, who received a trade kicker payout of $430,000 as part of the transaction, in addition to his $3 million salary.

In 2013, when the Miami Heat used the amnesty provision to waive Miller, it greatly upset James. At the time, the move projected savings of about $17 million in luxury tax for the Heat. With Miller nearing retirement and with no clear role next season on the Cavs, a source close to James described trading Miller as being "the right thing to do" to give Miller options about where he wants to continue playing.

To make the deal work, the Blazers will get a second-round pick in 2019 -- which will be the better of the Minnesota Timberwolves or Los Angeles Lakers picks that the Cavs own -- and Cleveland's second-round pick in 2020. The Cavs acquired the pick from the Lakers as part of a deal with the Indiana Pacers on Friday for use in this trade.

Haywood, who played in 22 games and averaged 1.6 points and 1.3 rebounds last season, plans to continue his career after he's released. Miller, who has battled hand, shoulder and back injuries in recent seasons, may take some time to choose his next move if a buyout with the Blazers is completed.

Looks like a pretty good deal.. save on some luxury tax money and free up 2 roster spots to add some players that have a chance to contribute.. I like it.

Great trade.

Obviously by trading players to save money, the FO has admitted they really don't care about winning..

terrific trade IMO.

The great thing is that Griffin has shown that he can be patient in pursuit of the right deal. He now has 2 really nice trade exemptions, and we saved a little money that should make resigning Smith or Delly slightly easier, from a money standpoint.

A little more about the Miller part of the trade. (the end of the article)

Cleveland Cavaliers trade Brendan Haywood and Mike Miller to Portland Trail Blazers for trade exceptions | cleveland.com
http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2015/07/cleveland_cavaliers_trade_bren.html#incart_m-rpt-1

Haywood's departure was inevitable. He played a grand total of 119 minutes for the club last season. The shocker of the transaction is Miller's involvement.

Statistically, all across the board, Miller just endured the worst season of his 15-year NBA career.

A league source says Miller approved the trade, as he wanted to play for a team where he would have a chance to see significant minutes. Miller will seek a buyout from the rebuilding Trail Blazers to pursue a team that will promise him a spot in a rotation.

Miller exercised his $2.8 million player option for next season at the end of June.

He is a great friend of LeBron James. The four-time MVP recruited Miller last offseason to provide shooting assistance, but he never found his shooting stroke and David Blatt was reluctant to commit playing time to the veteran.

I'm told James understand Miller's situation and is "OK with the move." He was not OK with the Miami Heat when they traded Miller to Memphis in the summer of 2013 in order to avoid major luxury tax penalties.

Times have changed.

Will someone explain how this works for me?

Can we sign free agents by using the $10.5 and $2.94 million?

Can anyone embellish on what the trade exemptions actually help us?

I guess I am most confused about if the only way we can use that extra money is through the trade exemptions and what do they mean by an exemption?

No, it can only be used in a trade. Basically we can bring back salary equal to those exceptions

Okay, thanks.

Thanks, bro!

Dang, that some complicated stuff for a dummy like me. Glad Griffin knows what he's doing.

It's not just you.

I consider myself to be fairly up to speed on the NFL salary cap rules and such, and also on MLB salary cap rules ........ (That was a joke, or an ironic statement, or something .....for those who weren't sure)

But man, the NBA rules make me want to pull my hair out trying to figure out all of the angles. Fortunately Griffin seems to be well versed in the rules, and Gilbert is more than wiling to spend to win.

It's not going to be easy to find a team that's willing to trade a good player making $10.5m and get nothing back in return, other than cap space o the savings of not paying the player. We'd need a losing team that wants to save money.

The best parts of a trade exception:

- They last a year without counting against the cap. So rather than having Haywood on the book for a year at $10 million, we save something like $25 million in salary and tax.

- We can split it up for smaller trades. If we wanted to trade Haywood, the incoming contracts would of had to be around $7m-$13m worth of salary. Now, we could trade for someone making $5 million and not have to worry about matching up the salary. On top of that, we could still use the remaining $5 million from the original $10m for a another trade.

What I'm guessing we're banking on is for a team that's up in the luxury tax area of team salary to start hitting tough times in the middle of the year and hold a fire-sale to save money. A trade exception would save them 2.5x the player's salary because they wouldn't need to take back salary in return. They wouldn't get rid of their best players, but we might be able to pick up a decent role player.

The other thing to consider is that 2016 is supposed to be a big Free Agent bonanza because of the new cap. Teams in the cellar *coughLakerscough* might be willing to unload some people to clear space for a big Free Agent spree.

We resigned Della to a 1 year deal