After falling short in the NBA Finals last season, the Cleveland Cavaliers have been determined to upgrade their roster this offseason. However, before thinking about acquiring new players to bolster the roster, their focus has been to retain some of their key role players from last season.
Yesterday, the Cavaliers signed veteran point guard Jose Calderon to a one-year, veteran’s minimum deal, which may be the replacement for Deron Williams. Today, the Cavaliers have agreed to terms with veteran sharpshooter Kyle Korver, signing him to a three-year, $22 million deal, including a partial guarantee for the final year.
Averaging 10.7 points on 48.5 percent three-point shooting in a Cavs uniform, re-signing Korver was a must. Although he shrunk during the playoffs, Korver was still crucial to the team’s long-term success, adding deadly outside shooting and excellent floor spacing for LeBron James and Kyrie Irving.
Korver, 36, was acquired midseason from the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Mike Dunleavy Jr. He played 35 games, with one start, for the Cavaliers and participated in every single playoff game, averaging 5.8 points on 39.1 percent shooting from three-point distance in 18 minutes per game.
Cavaliers are not finished yet
Now that they have secured Korver for the next three seasons, the Cavaliers can focus on other aspects of their roster.
Yesterday, it was reported that they are working on a trade that would send veteran guard Iman Shumpert to the Houston Rockets. The Cavaliers are determined to clear cap space, so they want to dump Shumpert’s contract.
If they are able to dump Shumpert’s salary, the Cavaliers could clear sufficient cap space to then improve the team.
They have been eyeing New York Knicks star player Carmelo Anthony for a while, but Melo must receive a buyout from New York first. Fortunately for the Cavs, Anthony has expressed his desire to play for Cleveland if he is bought out, and the Knicks are still determined to release him or trade him sometime during the offseason.
Other key players that may be gone
At the end of the season, it was announced that Richard Jefferson and Channing Frye are likely to retire. If both of those veterans call it quits, the Cavaliers will save another $9 million for next season, which would help them gain more talent.
It’s been an unproductive offseason for the Cavalier so far since they lost general manager David Griffin, but the best has yet to come for them. They are slowly preparing to make a major splash this offseason.
