Trending News|July 02, 2015 02:21 EDT
Cleveland Cavaliers NBA 2015 News: Cavs Spend Big on First Day of Free Agency
The Cleveland Cavaliers came within two games of winning their first championship in franchise history this past season, and on the very first day of free agency, the team has decided to spend big to bring back the crew.
The Cavs have reportedly agreed to give forward Kevin Love, who saw his playoff run end in Game 4 of the first round to a shoulder injury, a five-year deal worth $110 million. That figure, as noted by Ball Don't Lie, is around the number is said to be agreed upon before he was traded from the Minnesota Timberwolves.
"Yeah, of course I've heard the free agency rumors. But at the end of the day, and after meeting with my teammates (it turns out pools are great meeting places) and with the front office, it was clear that Cleveland was the place for me. We're all on the same page and we're all in. We have unfinished business and now it's time to get back to work," Love wrote in a The Players Tribune piece.
The Cavs also decided to pay the player that replaced Love in the starting lineup after he got injured, reportedly agreeing with Tristan Thompson to five years and over $80 million. Thompson emerged as the best rebounder in these past playoffs, and showed he could defend guards off the pick and roll switch"”a valuable skill in today's NBA.
Guard Iman Shumpert will also be returning to the Cavs after reportedly agreeing to a four-year $40 million deal. Just with those three deals, the Cavs have committed over $230 million dollars in the very first day of free agency, and they still have to work out a deal with LeBron James, who previously opted out of his deal to enter free agency.
The Cavs will also have to make a decision on guards J.R. Smith and Matthew Dellavedova, who are also free agents.