The Cleveland.com article reported that the Cavs and Kaun have not reached an agreement but that it is only a matter of time before the big man is signed sealed and delivered with the Cavs. It’s been a long ride this summer but I can say for sure, well worth the wait.
Advertisement
Smith, who declined his $6.8 million player option shortly after the season, considered other options before returning to Cleveland, said the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because the contract has not yet been signed.
The Cavs haven’t re-signed Tristan Thompson yet, but that appears to be inevitable since he is a restricted free agent.
In addition, the Cavaliers acquired Smith from the Knicks in a January trade last season, and Smith played a critical role in Cleveland’s success after a 19-20 start.
Like fellow teammates LeBron James, Matthew Dellavedova, and James Jones, under the collective bargaining rules, Smith can better his own future in Cleveland by denying a potential trade during the season.
Smith averaged 12.7 points and 3.5 rebounds per game, and if he was hot from the three, he stayed hot. Smith will also still be able to cash in during the summer of 2016. I ended up deciding that instead of potentially securing a larger deal elsewhere, I wanted to rejoin an incredible organization in pursuit of the ultimate goal, an National Basketball Association championship.
Kaun went to high school in Florida and played four seasons at the University of Kansas.
Advertisement
He joins a Cavaliers frontcourt that includes center Timofey Mozgov, forward Kevin Love and forward/center Anderson Varejao. It’s far more likely that he expected a reasonably active market for his services and encountered little interest.
