The Cleveland Cavaliers were close to getting Jimmy Butler or Paul George, but they both slipped out of their hands. According to NBC Sports, the Cavaliers came close to acquiring Butler from the Chicago Bulls before they ousted David Griffin as general manager. When Koby Altman took over Griffin’s job in the interim, the Cavaliers also came close in getting George via trade with the Indiana Pacers. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported that Altman was close to a deal with the Pacers on June 30th for George.
Wojnarowski said the deal was so close that the Pacers were about to allow George to talk with Cavaliers team owner Dan Gilbert on the phone.
However, the Pacers backed out of the deal at the last minute. The details of the Cavs’ negotiations with the Bulls and the Pacers were not revealed.
The Oklahoma City Thunder then jumped on the opportunity, trading guard Victor Oladipo and power forward Domantas Sabonis for George, who now have a chance to play with All-Star Russell Westbrook for one year. The move was a big gamble for the Thunder as George has a player option on the final year of his deal in 2018-19 and can become an unrestricted free agent next season.
LeBron James frustrated with Cavs’ lack of offseason moves
The news came out one day after it was reported that James was frustrated and disappointed by the Cavaliers’ lack of offseason moves and their decision to part ways with Griffin, the architect of Cleveland’s run to the franchise’s first NBA crown two seasons ago.
According to Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today, James expected the Cavaliers to go all-out in acquiring talents after losing to a more superior Golden State Warriors side in the NBA Finals in five games. Zillgitt said that James was left frustrated when the Cavaliers let Griffin and vice president of basketball operations Trent Redden leave.
No significant move from Cavs in offseason
The Warriors will remain intact for next season after signing Steph Curry, Andre Iguodala, and Shaun Livingston to long-term deals. The trio of James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love is intact for now, but they need to add more quality players to give the Warriors a run for their money.
The Cavaliers signed veteran forward Jeff Green to a one-year, $2.3 million deal. Green played for the Orlando Magic last season, averaging 9.2 points and 3.1 rebounds. The Cavaliers also kept sharpshooter Kyle Korver with a three-year, $22 million deal and signed Calderon to a one-year contract worth $2.3 million.
