If we take the average yearly values of Love, Thompson, and Shumpert’s deals – $22 million, $16 million, and $10 million, respectively – and apply them to the Cavs’ payroll next season, they’re already looking at $91.6 million in payroll.
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Tristan Thompson and the Cleveland Cavaliers have reportedly come to an agreement on a new deal.
The Kevin Love drama is over, and it wasn’t much of a show. However, Love and his representatives probably didnt want to risk leaving that kind of money on the table.
ESPN and NBA.com reported Love would visit the Los Angeles Lakers this week, but that will not occur. The Cavaliers will surely look to bring Mozgov back, but having Love and Thompson in place in the frontcourt would help soften that blow somewhat. Those on the fence are Kevin Love, J.R. Smith, and who knows what will happen with Dwyane Wade.
The three-time All-Star returning should keep the Cavaliers atop of the Eastern Conference. That is a deal the organization has come to regret, but they’re certainly not willing to walk away from it altogether.
Despite knowing that he would have been one of the most sought after players if he had chose to remain a free agent, Love insisted that he had his heart and mind set on re-signing with the Cavaliers. LeBron James submitted a super-human effort, but without another star on the floor to share the load, the Cavaliers bowed out to the Golden State Warriors in six games.
If you think some of these numbers are mind-blowing now, wait until the 2017-18 season, when the league’s salary cap is projected to expand by $41 million.
Mozgov will make $5 million.
DeMarre Carroll announced his new four-year deal for $60 million with Toronto on his Instagram account, leaving the Atlanta Hawks for the Raptors.
Butler agreed to a four-year maximum deal with a player option for a fifth season, sources said. Yeah, he’s taking that.
All three contracts the Cavs agreed to today are huge for another reason, as well.
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Shumpert started talking with the Cavaliers, and that hasn’t gone where he wanted, so the unrestricted free agent is going to start listening to other offers, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. He is represented by James’ management firm, led by the well-respected Rich Paul. However, owner Dan Gilbert is ready and willing to spend for his transcendent superstar. If Gilbert goes over the cap then he has to pay more money as a penalty. “I did want to sit down with LeBron and just lay everything out there on the table”, Love said in a Sirius XM Mad Dog Radio interview with The Players’ Tribune.
