Tag Archives: NBA

Cavs select Jalen Green in mock draft

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A NBA mock draft from NBC Sports Philadelphia has the Cleveland Cavaliers selecting G League guard Jalen Green with the third overall pick.

This is a confusing one. A mock draft originally appearing on NBC Sports Philadelphia has the Cleveland Cavaliers making an interesting pick, Jalen Green. This is after Cade Cunningham is taken by the Pistons first overall and Evan Mobley goes second to the Rockets. The reason why this is interesting is not because of the skill set, picks beforehand, or Green’s position. It is because a report from Green’s camp that stated he would rather land in Houston than Cleveland.

If Cleveland were to actually select Jalen Green with their pick it would more than likely lead to some shuffling in regards to their starting lineup. There have been plenty of rumors involving Collin Sexton since the season ended for the Cavs. This could lead to the Cavs moving Sexton in order to undertake a much needed roster shakeup. But again, it does not sound like Jalen Green is all that interested in coming to Cleveland and that must be taken into account.

Raptors to pursue Cavs RFA Jarrett Allen

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The Toronto Raptors are expected to pursue the Cleveland Cavaliers restricted free agent center once free agency begins.

As expected, there are going to be suitors for Jarrett Allen besides the Cleveland Cavaliers. Shams Charania of The Athletic (subscription required) is reporting that the Toronto Raptors are interested in the soon-to-be restricted free agent.

…the Toronto Raptors are expected to be among the strong suitors for the restricted free agent, according to sources.

Charania would also add that the Raptors attempted previously acquire Jarrett Allen in the past before ending up in Cleveland.

Exactly how the Cavs handle this situation will be interesting. While they obviously valued Allen highly before acquiring him, they should still maintain flexibility in regards to their future roster construction. Perhaps if they decide they may be better off in the long term without Allen they could work out a sign and trade with another team who has interest.

Cavs extend qualifying offer to Jarrett Allen

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The Cleveland Cavaliers have extended a qualifying offer to the 23-year old center making him a restricted free agent.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are not going to let Jarrett Allen just walk away. The team extended a qualifying offer to young center resulting in Allen now becoming a restricted free agent according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.

Other teams can sign Jarrett Allen to an offer sheet, but the Cavs will have the chance to match. Fedor would later add that “bringing him back is a top priority”. 

Cleveland acquired Jarrett Allen from the Nets in a multi-team trade that sent James Harden to Brooklyn. Allen would average 13.2 points and 9.9 rebounds in 51 games for the Cavs last season.  

Isaiah Hartenstein declines player option

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The Cleveland Cavaliers center has declined his player option and will become a free agent.

There will be more moving parts for the Cleveland Cavaliers this season as Isaiah Hartenstein has decided to test free agency. Hartenstein declined his player option for next season and will become a free agent. The option was worth $1.8 million. 

Isaiah Hartenstein came to the Cavs via trade last season and averaged 8.3 points and 6 rebounds in 16 games. Hartenstein primarily came off the bench as the team was utilizing Jarrett Allen as their starter leading to the backup center playing just 16.2 minutes per game. 

Cavs eyeing Alex Caruso in free agency

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The Cleveland Cavaliers are reportedly targeting the Los Angeles Lakers backup guard during the upcoming free agency period.

It appears that the Cleveland Cavaliers may be zeroing in on one of their targets in free agency, Alex Caruso. A report from Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com states that Caruso, along with TJ McConnell are targets for the Cavs to help their rebuild process. Fedor also mentions that this could an attempt to take the pressure of creating offense off of the shoulders of Darius Garland and Collin Sexton.

While the last tidbit is important, is Alex Caruso really that guy? Caruso is more a defensive minded guard who is more known for his memeable scoring moments than being a consistent source of offense. In his four-year career, Caruso is averaging just 5.9 points and 2.4 assists in 18.9 minutes per game. Caruso’s offensive and defensive rating per 100 possessions is 106 and 107 respectively.

The fact of the matter is that the team needs to figure out what, if anything they are doing with their starting guard situation first before turning their attention to offensively challenged backup guards. Pursuing Alex Caruso while the team has clear issues scoring would be an overall confusing move for a team continuing to swim in the waters of non-competitiveness. If they are looking for offense, perhaps going after the other name mentioned, TJ McConnell, may be a better option to boost their scoring effort from the bench.

Jalen Green to the Cavs? Not so fast

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A report states that the NBA Draft prospect may prefer being selected by the Houston Rockets rather than being drafted by the Cavs.

It is peak NBA Draft rumor season and an interesting one involving the Cavs has popped up. According to Jeremy Woo of Sports Illustrated in a recent mock draft, Green may prefer going to Houston rather than Cleveland.

For what it’s worth, Green’s camp is thought to prefer Houston as a destination, rather than landing in Cleveland one pick later.

Jeremy Woo suggesting that Jalen Green may prefer Houston over Cleveland.

While this is a damning statement about the state of the Cavs at the moment, it is not entirely surprising. Cleveland is still stuck in neutral three years after LeBron James left for the second time. Considering the situations in Houston and Cleveland it is obvious that prospects would prefer to go the Rockets than the Cavs. Houston seems to be miles ahead in their rebuild process which started just this past season while Cleveland has their own set of issues to deal with at the moment.

Woo did have the Cavs selecting Evan Mobley with the third overall pick in the draft which may lead to some decisions being made about the future of Jarrett Allen in Cleveland. Things may work in the short term, but long term a move may be required to get the most out of Mobley if the Cavs do select him in the upcoming draft.

Knicks aggressive in pursuit of Collin Sexton

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The New York Knicks are reportedly the most aggressive team in pursuit of the Cleveland Cavaliers guard.

As more time passes it appears increasingly likely that the Cleveland Cavaliers will trade Collin Sexton. There has been a fair amount of chatter about the availability of Sexton in the last few days. The latest report from Shams Charania has the New York Knicks being the most aggressive team in pursuit of the Cavs guard.

Considering where the two teams are at this moment in time this would make a ton of sense. The Knicks are looking to get back to the playoffs next season and advance past their first round exit from this past season. Adding Collin Sexton would provide the Knicks with some depth and add another scorer to their mix of guards.

For the Cavs it would allow them to move on from Sexton without having to pay him the high dollar figure extension that many expect him to receive. Cleveland needs to continue shuffling their roster and determining who they should build around and who they should move. It appears as of now that the Cavs have determined their future does not include Collin Sexton, although things could change.

Collin Sexton “very available” in trade talks

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The Cleveland Cavaliers guard is “very available” in trade talks according to reports.

This can be filed under two subjects, not surprising and hard to swallow for those who have hard time accepting what a certain Cleveland Cavaliers player is. That player? Collin Sexton. A report from Jason Lloyd of The Athletic (subscription required) has stated that the the former eighth overall pick is available in trade talks. Lloyd was discussing the possibility of moving Kevin Love this summer when Sexton’s name came up.

A deal that might make more sense for the Cavs is bundling Love with Collin Sexton, who I’ve been told is “very available” this summer.

Jason Lloyd on the availability of Collin Sexton

When discussing a the possibility of pairing Kevin Love and Collin Sexton to possibly get Ben Simmons, Lloyd received a response of “no chance; Philly can do better”. That’s a hard pill to swallow for a lot of people who are unable to see the limitations of Sexton and only judge by box scores and refuse to accept the reality of the situation. The reality? He’s not a starter.

The issue when it comes to Collin Sexton is the expected contract extension he could receive versus what he is as a player. Any sort of high dollar figure extension has a very high chance of not working out. Up to this point based off his playing style Sexton appears like he could be a good sixth man for a good team or a starting guard on a really bad team. The fact of the matter is that Cavs are the latter not the former and bad teams should not be in the business of paying high dollar figures to this caliber of player. It would be in the best interest of both parties to go their separate ways this summer.

Kevin Love has not requested a trade

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The Cavs veteran has not requested a trade at this time.

The Cleveland Cavaliers may end up trading Kevin Love this offseason, but a trade request has not been made according to reports. Sam Amico of Hoops Wire reported last week that the Cavs will attempt to facilitate a trade of Love prior to next season. Amico also added that Love has not requested a trade at this time.

The fact of the matter is that the Cavs have needed to move on from Kevin Love for some time. Not only because the team is one of the worst in the league, but the Cavaliers need to finally close the book on their runs to The Finals. It really seems like the team is trying to cling to what was rather than realizing they are no longer close to being anything resembling a good basketball team.

It is beyond time to separate and move on. Cleveland needs to do good by one of the key players during their four seasons of contention and let him go to a team of his desire. Whether that is by trading Kevin Love or buying him out, it is best if both parties go their separate ways.

Cavs exploring trade options for Collin Sexton

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The Cleveland Cavaliers have reportedly begun to explore their trade options for guard Collin Sexton.

The trade chatter surrounding the Cleveland Cavaliers and Collin Sexton is only getting louder. It was just a few days ago that two separate radio stations in Cleveland had two different people suggesting that a trade is possible. Now another report has surfaced with the wheels now appearing to be in motion.

Jeremy Woo of SI is reporting that the Cleveland Cavaliers are in the early stages of exploring a trade of Collin Sexton. Woo had the following to say.

According to league sources, the Cavaliers have begun to explore trade options involving leading scorer Collin Sexton. Sexton, 22, is extension-eligible this summer, averaged 24.3 points per game last season, and appears likely to seek a maximum contract. Also eligible for an extension is 23-year-old center Jarrett Allen, who is also expected to command a lucrative deal from Cleveland. There’s belief around the league that Cleveland prefers to move on from Sexton, rather than sign him to a deal that would greatly inhibit their flexibility moving forward. The Cavs hold the No. 3 pick in the draft, and could end up selecting another guard, which could further expedite the process of a trade.

Jeremy Woo on the Cavs and a possible Collin Sexton trade

This is not necessarily all that surprising considering the Cavs have the third overall pick in the upcoming draft and could use that to draft his replacement. There have been questions about the actually fit with Collin Sexton and others on the roster, mainly Darius Garland. Garland is more of a traditional point guard while Sexton is a scoring guard. The fact both are in the starting lineup is the issue considering Sexton would be a much better option off the bench. If Cleveland could somehow convince Sexton to take a role off the bench it may work, but a possible pricey contract extension may throw a wrench in this idea.

The Cavs would be foolish to hand Collin Sexton a large extension to begin with, but if he was a bench player it would be worse. While paying valuable bench players is fine for competitive teams, the Cavs are not anywhere close to being that at the current moment. Paying a bench player a high salary would continue the lack of direction the team has had for the past few seasons. Cleveland needs to avoid any type of decision which would lead to continuing to spin the tires and not move forward. That may mean moving on from Collin Sexton, which appears to be a lot closer to actually happening than some think it is. It seems like it may be only a matter of time before the team moves on from Young Bull.