There has been a lot of Big News around the league, as the NBA regular season gets closer and closer. The Cleveland Cavaliers have let go of veteran forward Richard Jefferson and point guard Kay Felder. The Portland Trail Blazers have not yet made an offer to extend center Jusuf Nurkic.
San Antonio Spurs' All-Star forward Kawhi Leonard's return from an injury is still uncertain, while Miami Heat's forward Rodney McGruder is out for three to six months due to a stress fracture in his left leg.
Cleveland Cavaliers' trade
The Cleveland Cavaliers sent forward Richard Jefferson, who was instrumental in their 2016 NBA Finals run, and second-year point guard Kay Felder to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for the rights to Dimitrios Agravanis and Sergii Gladyr.
This move enables the Cavaliers to unload some of their salary cap problems and to help them attract upcoming free-agents to help them build a team that will compete against the reigning NBA champions Golden State Warriors.
According to Basketball-reference, Kay Felder averaged 4.0 points, 1.0 rebound, 1.4 assists, 0.4 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game while Richard Jefferson averaged 5.7 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 0.3 steals, and 0.1 blocks per game during the 2016-2017 Nba Season.
Jusuf Nurkic expected to become a restricted free-agent in 2018
Jusuf Nurkic was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers from the Denver Nuggets in February of 2017. Nurkic is in the last year of his rookie contract and is expected to receive $2.9 million during the 2017-2018 NBA season.
He is still to receive a contract extension with the Blazers.
He averaged career best in the 20 games he played with the Trail Blazers last season. According to Basketball-reference, Nurkic averaged 15.2 points, 10.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.9 blocks per game during the past NBA season.
Rodney McGruder out for the Miami Heat
Rodney McGruder was an important part of the Miami Heat's run during the second half of the past season. He started at the small forward spot after Justise Winslow and Josh Richardson went out due to injuries. McGruder was also projected to start for the next NBA season.
Rodney McGruder averaged 6.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.6 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game during the past NBA season as per Basketball-reference.
Kawhi Leonard to miss season opener
According to Spurs' head coach Gregg Popovich, All-Star forward Kawhi Leonard will not be available due to a quad injury in their season opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Leonard also missed all of their preseason games.
Kawhi Leonard had an excellent 2016-2017 NBA season where he was among the top MVP candidates; he averaged 25.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.8 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game during the past NBA season as per Basketball-reference.
The Atlanta Hawks are expected to waive both Richard Jefferson and Kay Felder. With McGruder out, Winslow and Richardson are expected to compete for his starting spot.
