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February 8, 2014The last 24 hours have been very Cleveland Cavaliers-heavy at ESPN.com. While Brian Windhorst was second to confirm Chris Grant’s firing, there also was a detailed article on Anthony Bennett’s next steps for growth.
In a separate article focused on Bennett, ESPN.com’s Marc Stein also shared some rumblings about Luol Deng and the Cavs summer of 2014. Here is the entire paragraph midway through the Bennett article, with emphasis added by me:
That’s right: What was supposed to be a season exciting enough to make LeBron James think seriously about leaving Miami to come back to the Cavs has descended into such farce that sources close to the situation are already saying that there’s little-to-no chance Deng will agree to stay once he hits free agency.
Deng, who turns 29 in April, is an unrestricted free agent at the conclusion of the 2013-14 season. Previously, there had somewhat positive indications of Deng’s future in Cleveland. He had said he was fine with waiting until the summer to talk.
The Cavs, of course, do own Deng’s Bird Rights. That means they can offer him a more lucrative deal than any other team. Multiple sites previously reported that Deng turned down a three-year $30 million offer from the Bulls, perhaps leading to the eventual trade.
Given the unlikely nature of a resigning, GM David Griffin could look to move Deng this season. Since he was traded within the last two months, however, he cannot be combined with other assets by the Cavs in a theoretical subsequent trade. Cap expert Larry Coon has a great FAQ about this exact detail.
Another big part of the team’s offseason (and next 13 days leading up to the trade deadline) will be the status of Anderson Varejao. The 31-year-old big man has a $4 million guarantee out of his $9.8 million contract for the 2014-15 season. He could be an attractive trade piece for a contending team.
[Related: Dan Gilbert needs to abandon playoff goals for this season]
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Photo: Mark Duncan, AP
7 Comments
But but but…
We have cap flexibility and a stock pile of draft picks; what’s not to like?!?
The Head Coach (Mike Brown) and (supposed) lack of accountability/team cohesion. Other than that it’s pretty good in the Q.
Maybe Gase or Quinn would be interested!!!
The Cavaliers still maintain one of the best introductions in the NBA so there’s always that!
Honestly a no brainer this would seem at least to me. I’m more interested to see if the Cavaliers do much if anything come the trade deadline. Will new GM David Griffin look to make an impact and put his stamp on this team in an effort to show he can do the job or will he even be allowed to make an impact as far as trades? That’s probably going to be the most interesting thing for me to watch.
Personally I’d be looking to move Deng. Those restrictions for trade make it harder but you have to believe there are teams out there who would be interested in him down the stretch.
Anderson Varejao has to be on the block. I have come to love the guy but lets face it he’s aging and while he’s managed to avoid the injury bug so far this season I can’t see him being part of what will probably be a new restructuring.
Dion Waiters has trade value I say move him. Same with CJ Miles and Tristan Thompson. Earl Clark, Jarret Jack and Alonzo Gee (nice to see him finally play last night and play well as the Cavaliers held on for dear life to beat the Wizards) could all go if you could find takers. I seriously doubt Anthony Bennett receives any interest so your stuck with him which may not be a bad thing. The kid has an upside it’s just been retarded this season by his health problems not to mention his weight and his overall lack of any kind of true basketball understanding and learning. He is in effect learning on the job and we have all seen how painful that has been this year.
Kyrie Irving. I know he’s everyone new favorite guy to kick around and hold accountable but I’m sorry the only way he goes is if he declines to sign that extension. Until then I build around him. Why? Because he’s hands down the best player on the team, period!
Wow this is a really big mess in Cleveland. They really fucked up big time. I think its time to rebuild this team again.
Honestly, even if the team was playing well, I didn’t have a ton of faith in Deng coming back. I think he wants more than most teams will reasonably give him.
He’ll end up being crazy overpaid by Washington or Detroit or one of those other teams that doesn’t typically make smart FA signings.