Video: LeBron James watching his son’s basketball team
July 20, 2014Kyle Shanahan, Miracle Worker? While We’re Waiting…
July 21, 2014The Cleveland Cavaliers are close to signing first-round pick Andrew Wiggins, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. This is a complete turnaround from all the talk about Wiggins being in trade discussions for Minnesota Timberwolves’ Kevin Love. Once a rookie signs, the team cannot trade him until 30 days after he signs the contract. Windhorst reports that the Cavs are waiting to sign Wiggins in order to have more flexibility in their cap space. Most believed the Cavs were waiting to sign Wiggins because they were looking to trade him for Love. This report will shut the door on the Wiggins for Love trade talk for at least 30 days.
Windhorst says the team is still deciding on what to do with their remaining $1.4 million of cap space. The Cavs are considering long-term contracts for second-round picks Joe Harris and Dwight Powell as well as the possibility of bringing in Ray Allen. Windhorst says that once the Cavs use up the remaining cap space, they will use the $2.7 million “room” exception to sign Mike Miller. This report clearly shows the Cavs are focused on keeping Wiggins for at least the near future. It is a completely different tune from the one heard last week that they were willing to trade Wiggins.
Sources: Cavaliers planning to sign Andrew Wiggins this week (via @WindhorstESPN).http://t.co/kLVXOqQB8a pic.twitter.com/vM8f9s0y07
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) July 20, 2014
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(Photo by: AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
11 Comments
I don’t think this post’s main point (that this represents a departure from a belief they could trade Wiggins) logically follows from this news. Unsigned first round picks are worth zero salary for trade matching purposes. Any trade for Love is going to have to involve a decent chunk of salary going back to Minnesota, so if Wiggins is going to be dangled in trade talks for Love, it would make sense to get him signed.
If he is going to be involved in the trade anyway, it would be beneficial to have him signed (even if it took up to 30 days for a trade to be official), because that’s less salary maneuvering the Cavs would have to do.
Yes, joe’s right. If anything, Wiggins signing is a necessary precursor to him being traded.
Only question was whether him not signing so far had anything to do with his agent wanting to hold some leverage on him not being dealt.
Why are we contemplating trading Wiggins? I don’t get it. Why cant LeBron whisper into Love’s ear that he should not guarantee signing an extension with any other team but the Cavs? This would essentially kill any trade other teams have on the table, and force the Timberwolves to take a Dion, Bennett, and 1st round pick offer from the Cavs.
1. Yes, this assumes Love would pull that maneuver
2. Yes, it assumes the Timberwolves would not just hold onto Love past the trade deadline and thus make our cap space to pick him up as a free agent next season basically impossible
The Timberwolves need to get something for their best player. Should their hand be forced, they will have to settle for what they can get. From Love’s perspective, he is much better served with Wiggins on the team, and should we become a perennial contender, Love, Kyrie and Wiggins can grow together past LeBron. If the Cavs do not land Love, this would not be the end of the world. We still would have a ton of cap space to sign someone else in a year should the Love situation not workout. Oh, and there is the whole issue that we haven’t even seen how potentially good a LeBron, KI, Wiggins, Dion, Bennett, Varajeo, and Thompson team actually could be together.
I feel like ESPN is just pumping Chris Broussard’s “report” down our throats without logically thinking it through.
Someone please tell me what I am missing here.
I think the part you’re missing is the Cavs having “a ton of cap space” in a year. They’re on the books right now for 70+ million, if you get rid of Haywood that cuts out 10+ million but salary cap is only projected at 66 million in 2016. Kevin Love is not going to sign here for a 6 million deal.
correct. we could not sign Love next July. but, we could sign-n-trade him when Minny is at their weakest from a leverage standpoint.
True, but I think the
market for a love S&T next July will be significantly hotter than it is
now. Teams like the Lakers, Knicks, Warriors, and others will have plenty
of cap space for Love. Plus, the Cavs would have to do some major
salary cap shuffling to accommodate him (I’m not even sure it’s feasible). The market for Love seems very weak at the
moment (e.g., pretty much just the Cavs and Warriors), so I’m hoping that some
other teams don’t jump in.
This is why the Cavs have no incentive to act now. If Golden State and Boston aren’t blowing Minny out of the water with deals, the Cabs would only be competing against themselves. Waiting until the deadline is the best move for Cleveland – it not only gives them maximum leverag with Minnesota but it allows them to see what they really have with Wiggins. If wiggins ends up being fantastic, they’ve already won.
With a little saavy and patience, Griffin may be able to score Love without sacrificing Wiggins.
That would theoretically make the Cavs an instant title contender.
ESPN can’t have that.
Haywood ($10mil unguaranteed) + $7mil in contracts is all the shuffling we need to send back to make such a trade work.
Sign-n-trade is more about where Love wants to be than anything else. So, it would be up to LeBron convincing him that this is where he wants to be. But, we’d have to do that anyway as I doubt he signs an extension in a trade, so that part of the equation is the same either way.
PHX and Chicago could make godfather offers for Love if they truly wanted him, so they are out there (honestly, we are lucky Reinsdorf runs the Bulls).
ESPN can’t have that.
http://cdn.fansided.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/229/files/2014/06/785856685392668080.gif
You are not missing anything (I had a very similar post from last week). Total agreement. I want to assume Cavs brass sees this scenario, but who knows?
Only reason I could see Love not doing this is the potential risk that Minnesota keeps him past the deadline because they just refuse to take the Cavs Wiggins-less offer and Love’s declaration dissolved all other trade offers. In that very unlikely scenario (Minny getting nothing back), then Love misses out on the fastest-to-win scenarios in GS and CLE and is forced to sign with someone like Boston.
Previous post:
My point is really just that if Love wants to play with these guys more than he wants to play for another team (or in another city), then all he has to do is say so. It would be stupid for him, should he consider CLE his top choice, to not do that [say he won’t resign with a team that trades for him unless it’s CLE] and force the Cavs into a situation where they are tempted to sacrifice Wiggins.
If he’s just as, if not more, interested in playing in the Bay Area with Curry, aging Iggy, and the oft-injured Bogut or in CHI with Rose (a player everyone pretends will play sustainably at a high level again which boggles my mind) and Joakim Noah, than he is in playing with Kyrie, Wiggins, and the best player on the planet, then he shouldn’t force the hand as I’ve suggested.
But then you get to mgbode’s point below…if he didn’t want us and this situation (lifestyle / city considerations included), then why give up Wiggins?
It just wouldn’t make any sense. The Cavs shouldn’t give up Wiggins if that’s what it takes to get Love here. He either wants to be here or not…if he does, he can help. If he’s equally interested in other teams, how does trading away a stud prospect make him more excited to come here.
So yes, he’s currently “intrigued.” If he’s truly more than that, this is a no-brainer from a negotiation stand point is all I’m saying. And if he’s not willing to force the hand, then why trade for him to earn the right to compel him to? And why trade for him in such a way that make this team a less attractive situation?