So Long, Mo Gotti Williams

[gourimoko]

I think this summer is the ideal time to make a run at him and bring him back to where he belongs.

If I'm Griffin, my free agency/trade goals are:

1.) sign Mo Williams to a vet min contract.
2.) trade Haywood's contract for Andre Igoudala

GS is going to probably give Draymond the max and they should want to shed some salary and avoid the tax. Haywood gets them out of the final 2 years of Iggy's deal.

The Cavs then have legitimate back ups for Kyrie and LeBron.

This could be the core:

Irving - Williams - Dellavedova
Smith - Shumpert - Harris
James - Igoudala - Miller
Love - Thompson - Jones
Mozgov - Varejao - Perkins

Best trade proposal I've seen in over a year.

 

[Just Checkin]

Best trade proposal I've seen in over a year.

Yeah, that'd be sick on paper. Things to worry about are luxury tax (if Gilbert cares about that still) and one of them falling off (Marion and Miller have scarred me).

 

[Stark]

James Jones is the kind of guy that could keep doing what he is doing until he is 40 years old. I'm perfectly fine with bringing him back in his exact role next season as long as he is healthy and ready to go.

Mike Miller has fallen completely off a cliff. Him airballing that straight on three pointer last night put the final nail in the coffin for me. I'd want Joe Harris out there in a playoff situation over him right now. He's just not NBA caliber anymore, and I'd rather have him in a suit on the bench then in uniform next season.

 

[Omar The Horse]

Yeah, that'd be sick on paper. Things to worry about are luxury tax (if Gilbert cares about that still) and one of them falling off (Marion and Miller have scarred me).

Mo just turned 32 in December.
Iggy just turned 31 in January.

Iggy has 2 years $22 million left on his current contract.

If the Cavs make it to the finals this year that would make 5 straight years for LeBron.

Priority #1 in my book is to use Haywood's contract to find a suitable back-up for LeBron. They need to get his minutes down to around 30-32 minutes a game and he needs to get more games off in the regular season.

I like the idea of finding a soft spot in the schedule annually where he can take 2 weeks off and do whatever he needs to do in Miami.

Golden State is in a situation that they probably didn't expect. I'm sure they didn't think Draymond would be this good and it's well known that Detroit would throw a max deal at him....I think other teams would too. They are going to match because he is that important to their success.

Klay's extension kicks in next year and David Lee still has $15 million owed in 2015-2016. Bogut is making $12M and Steph is making $11M.

GS would likely have to give up a pick/filler to move Lee and take back salary. They could essentially give the Cavs Iggy in a straight up swap for Haywood's non-guarnteed contract and not lose an asset in the process.

It's the ideal situation for both teams.

 

[Just Checkin]

Not exactly arguing with you there.

It's an interesting scenario, for real. Hopefully Griffin read this before his afternoon workout.

 

[gourimoko]

Mo just turned 32 in December.
Iggy just turned 31 in January.

Iggy has 2 years $22 million left on his current contract.

If the Cavs make it to the finals this year that would make 5 straight years for LeBron.

Priority #1 in my book is to use Haywood's contract to find a suitable back-up for LeBron. They need to get his minutes down to around 30-32 minutes a game and he needs to get more games off in the regular season.

I like the idea of finding a soft spot in the schedule annually where he can take 2 weeks off and do whatever he needs to do in Miami.

Golden State is in a situation that they probably didn't expect. I'm sure they didn't think Draymond would be this good and it's well known that Detroit would throw a max deal at him....I think other teams would too. They are going to match because he is that important to their success.

Klay's extension kicks in next year and David Lee still has $15 million owed in 2015-2016. Bogut is making $12M and Steph is making $11M.

GS would likely have to give up a pick/filler to move Lee and take back salary. They could essentially give the Cavs Iggy in a straight up swap for Haywood's non-guarnteed contract and not lose an asset in the process.

It's the ideal situation for both teams.

When is Curry's contract up, as in, how soon can he opt out?

 

[Omar The Horse]

When is Curry's contract up, as in, how soon can he opt out?

He's an unrestricted free agent in 2017.

 

[gourimoko]

He's an unrestricted free agent in 2017.

No opt out, just boom UFA?

 

[kovanovich]

I think this summer is the ideal time to make a run at him and bring him back to where he belongs.

If I'm Griffin, my free agency/trade goals are:

1.) sign Mo Williams to a vet min contract.
2.) trade Haywood's contract for Andre Igoudala

GS is going to probably give Draymond the max and they should want to shed some salary and avoid the tax. Haywood gets them out of the final 2 years of Iggy's deal.

The Cavs then have legitimate back ups for Kyrie and LeBron.

This could be the core:

Irving - Williams - Dellavedova
Smith - Shumpert - Harris
James - Igoudala - Miller
Love - Thompson - Jones
Mozgov - Varejao - Perkins

That would mean a team salary of circa $120M, per my estimates. I don't think that's reasonable.

I think the Haywood contract only gets used to bring back significant salary if Love leaves. Maybe Griffin can work a deal that would bring back less salary, but it would be tricky since it would involve multiple teams.

Maybe the Haywood contract can be used if JR Smith leaves, which I'd say is fairly likely. Smith will want to be paid since this will be his last multiyear contract, and I personally don't know how much, or how many years, I'd be willing to tie up with him as he declines as a player.

I would think an Iguodala deal would be possible, but suspect GS would prefer dumping the final year of David Lee's contract. From the Cavs' perspective, this actually would be good because Lee plays Love's position. If Smith leaves in free agency, Iguodala isn't the best replacement. Iguodala would be a better replacement for Shumpert, in case he leaves as a RFA.

I unfortunately think Mo Williams' recent play has him above veteran minimum salary range. I agree that signing him would be ideal, but I'd only give him the minimum. Maybe the biannual exception, but the Cavs won't have that if they are above the apron.

Despite that inflated salary structure, I actually don't like the front court very much, given the uncertainly surrounding AV's health. I really don't want Perkins back. I'd prefer signing a vet who can still actually play. You'll be able to find a decent one cheap as a free agent, especially since the Cavs will be an attractive destination and they would be offering a defined role as a 4th big. Or use that front court roster spot for the Cavs' 1st round pick this year (roughly #24).

For that matter, you don't leave a spot for the Cavs' pick. Would the pick be included in the Iggy deal?

As others have said, Miller has a player option for next year and recently said he is returning. But maybe he will decide he really can't realistically play anymore and he does retire. I mean, we can hope so. I don't want both him and James Jones clogging up the bottom of the roster. Jones has at least shown he has the ability to run up and down the court and hit an occasional shot.

But as I see it, even if all the free agents are back (Smith, Shump, Love, TT, Delly, plus Miller opts in) AND Varejao is able to play, the Cavs will still need a PG and a wing/combo forward who can backup LeBron (this player would effectively replace Shawn Marion). Assuming they can't use the Haywood contract, and simply waive him, they will have the following tools: taxpayers MLE ($3.5M), 1st round pick, 1 or 2 minimum contracts.

 

[Omar The Horse]

That would mean a team salary of circa $120M, per my estimates. I don't think that's reasonable.

I think the Haywood contract only gets used to bring back significant salary if Love leaves. Maybe Griffin can work a deal that would bring back less salary, but it would be tricky since it would involve multiple teams.

Maybe the Haywood contract can be used if JR Smith leaves, which I'd say is fairly likely. Smith will want to be paid since this will be his last multiyear contract, and I personally don't know how much, or how many years, I'd be willing to tie up with him as he declines as a player.

I would think an Iguodala deal would be possible, but suspect GS would prefer dumping the final year of David Lee's contract. From the Cavs' perspective, this actually would be good because Lee plays Love's position. If Smith leaves in free agency, Iguodala isn't the best replacement. Iguodala would be a better replacement for Shumpert, in case he leaves as a RFA.

I unfortunately think Mo Williams' recent play has him above veteran minimum salary range. I agree that signing him would be ideal, but I'd only give him the minimum. Maybe the biannual exception, but the Cavs won't have that if they are above the apron.

Despite that inflated salary structure, I actually don't like the front court very much, given the uncertainly surrounding AV's health. I really don't want Perkins back. I'd prefer signing a vet who can still actually play. You'll be able to find a decent one cheap as a free agent, especially since the Cavs will be an attractive destination and they would be offering a defined role as a 4th big. Or use that front court roster spot for the Cavs' 1st round pick this year (roughly #24).

For that matter, you don't leave a spot for the Cavs' pick. Would the pick be included in the Iggy deal?

As others have said, Miller has a player option for next year and recently said he is returning. But maybe he will decide he really can't realistically play anymore and he does retire. I mean, we can hope so. I don't want both him and James Jones clogging up the bottom of the roster. Jones has at least shown he has the ability to run up and down the court and hit an occasional shot.

But as I see it, even if all the free agents are back (Smith, Shump, Love, TT, Delly, plus Miller opts in) AND Varejao is able to play, the Cavs will still need a PG and a wing/combo forward who can backup LeBron (this player would effectively replace Shawn Marion). Assuming they can't use the Haywood contract, and simply waive him, they will have the following tools: taxpayers MLE ($3.5M), 1st round pick, 1 or 2 minimum contracts.

$120 M may seem unreasonable but it could actually happen. They can exceed the cap to re-sign their own players and still trade for Igoudala using Haywood's expiring.

This obviously does not give the team any flexibility over the next 1-2 years but to me that roster could make it to the finals back to back.

JR and Love aren't going anywhere next year.

GS may prefer to dump Lee but they will likely have to take back salary or give up a future asset. I think they eventually trade him for spare rotational parts ala Rudy Gay to Sacramento. They've got to replenish their bench next year. I think ideally they want to get rid of both Lee and Igoudala to completely avoid the tax.

Gilbert is pretty much on record saying he will eat the tax for a championship contending team. The key to extending the window is getting a suitable back-up for LeBron. That should trump every other need going forward.

I agree that Varejao/Perkins are not ideal back-ups for Mozgov. Unless Andy medically retires he's going to be here. I have ZERO faith that he will come back healthy and/or have the ability that he once had. That's a major injury that few bounce back from especially at his age.

Perkins wants to be here and he will take the minimum.

Tristan likely gets the back-up center minutes consistently anyway.

There are not many options for 4th/5th bigs that will take the minimum and still provide some value even if it's not on the basketball court.

In regards to Mo....he was recently interviewed and you can tell he still thinks about the Cavalier years. Wondering what if. They could get him back.

There was a period in Mo Williams’ NBA career when it felt like the winning would never end. The Cleveland Cavaliers were on top of the league. Deep playoff runs were expected his first two years on a team stacked with talent, led by LeBron James.

Williams was the starting point guard and emerged into an All-Star. He played in 25 postseason games in those two years. He became so accustomed to success during that brief stretch, he never stopped to let it soak in.

Nearly five years later, he draws a blank on his highest moment during that span.

“Can’t remember. Can’t remember,” Williams told Basketball Insiders. “I thought it would never end, so I didn’t think it was something I had to remember.”

Williams is now 32 years old. He is in his 12th NBA season and on his eighth team, traded from the Minnesota Timberwolves to the Charlotte Hornets last month. Over his career he has appeared in 49 playoff games, most recently last year with the Portland Trail Blazers. But none of his five postseason pushes were as significant as those from 2008-10 in Cleveland.

The Cavaliers held the best record in the NBA during Williams’ first two seasons. They finished 66-16 in 2008-09 and swept the first two rounds of the playoffs before being eliminated by the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals. The following season, they won 61 regular season games and made it to the Eastern Conference Semifinals, losing to the Boston Celtics.

Each season they were projected as championship contenders. The notion of winning it all was within reach.

“(I thought it would happen) every year, every year,” Williams said. “You take for granted how hard it is to get to those points in your career. When it’s gone, you realize it was just a fad, it’ll leave. You have to take in every moment and continue to give it your all on the floor. You’ve got to think, what’s promised to you today is not promised to you tomorrow.”

James signed with the Miami HEAT in the summer of 2010 and, in an instant, the Cavaliers as Williams knew them were different. The team entered a rebuilding stage. The wins that once accumulated quickly were barely trickling in.

My pitch to him simply would be to get Z, Andy, and LeBron to meet with him personally and play on his emotions.

 

[kovanovich]

$120M team salary next year is, of course, possible. But paying that much luxury tax in the current CBA would be striking. It would be by far the highest team salary, and likely by a wide margin. The next highest could be in the $90M range.

I'm just saying this in an effort to manage expectations. I think it's likely Love will be back next year. It's nice that they have retained the assets (Haywood contract) for a potential backup plan.

I don't have any connections to the NBA, and no doubt as a result I tend to underestimate the importance of team chemistry and whether a given player is a friend of LeBron's.

But in the case of Perk, I just think it would be a missed opportunity if he is brought back next year. You keep a guy like Perkins, you lose a roster spot that could turn out to be the next Hassan Whiteside. Or even half the player that Whiteside is. Or, to take another Heat bargain big player as an example, the next Tyler Johnson. Or just someone who can actually contribute something tangible on the court.

As far as who would be available for the minimum, there will be plenty of time to study that list when the time comes, but there are always undervalued guys available in free agency. For instance, this last summer the Lakers signed Ed Davis for the minimum. He must have a really bad reputation around the league, because that contract was severely undervalued.

And as I said, the Cavs should be an attractive free agency destination, especially if this season plays out the way we hope it does. Cavs were able to attract Marion, Mike Miller, and even Perk this year. The results have admittedly been mixed with those three, but we the point is we know that Miller turned down more money (from Denver), and Perk turned down an opportunity to join a well-respected, former coach (LA Clippers).

But we'll see about Mo. I don't doubt he would like to return to Cleveland, but if he can get, say, 2 years and $7M (taxpayer MLE) or even 2 years and $4.2M (biannual exception), it would be tough to pass that up for 1 year and $1.5M.

 

[PedroFlu]

That would mean a team salary of circa $120M, per my estimates. I don't think that's reasonable.

I think the Haywood contract only gets used to bring back significant salary if Love leaves. Maybe Griffin can work a deal that would bring back less salary, but it would be tricky since it would involve multiple teams.

Maybe the Haywood contract can be used if JR Smith leaves, which I'd say is fairly likely. Smith will want to be paid since this will be his last multiyear contract, and I personally don't know how much, or how many years, I'd be willing to tie up with him as he declines as a player.

I would think an Iguodala deal would be possible, but suspect GS would prefer dumping the final year of David Lee's contract. From the Cavs' perspective, this actually would be good because Lee plays Love's position. If Smith leaves in free agency, Iguodala isn't the best replacement. Iguodala would be a better replacement for Shumpert, in case he leaves as a RFA.

I unfortunately think Mo Williams' recent play has him above veteran minimum salary range. I agree that signing him would be ideal, but I'd only give him the minimum. Maybe the biannual exception, but the Cavs won't have that if they are above the apron.

Despite that inflated salary structure, I actually don't like the front court very much, given the uncertainly surrounding AV's health. I really don't want Perkins back. I'd prefer signing a vet who can still actually play. You'll be able to find a decent one cheap as a free agent, especially since the Cavs will be an attractive destination and they would be offering a defined role as a 4th big. Or use that front court roster spot for the Cavs' 1st round pick this year (roughly #24).

For that matter, you don't leave a spot for the Cavs' pick. Would the pick be included in the Iggy deal?

As others have said, Miller has a player option for next year and recently said he is returning. But maybe he will decide he really can't realistically play anymore and he does retire. I mean, we can hope so. I don't want both him and James Jones clogging up the bottom of the roster. Jones has at least shown he has the ability to run up and down the court and hit an occasional shot.

But as I see it, even if all the free agents are back (Smith, Shump, Love, TT, Delly, plus Miller opts in) AND Varejao is able to play, the Cavs will still need a PG and a wing/combo forward who can backup LeBron (this player would effectively replace Shawn Marion). Assuming they can't use the Haywood contract, and simply waive him, they will have the following tools: taxpayers MLE ($3.5M), 1st round pick, 1 or 2 minimum contracts.

Great post, fully agreed. Last paragraph really sums it up.

I really think everybody is coming back next season, from James to Love to Thompson to Miller and Perkins. Haywood and Marion will be gone, and managament will go for a backup PG and backup SF using the MLE and draft.

It will be very important. After this, if everybody re signs, the core is locked for years to come.

Gotta hit the jackpot on draft. Which rookie do you think could be available at PG / SF from the 20th-30th?

Regarding free agency, useful players that maybe could be had for the MLE:

PGs:

Mo Williams (tough one, he's playing so well.. it would be the best case scenarium)
Norris Cole
JJ Barea
Jameer Nelson

SFs:

Matt Barnes
Kyle Singler (restricted)
Derrick Williams (don't know if he's a true SF though)
Chase Budinger
Mirza Teletovic


Talent wise I don't know the rookie prospects, but it would probably would be best to get a savy veteran PG and a good SF prospect to be developed. Guys who can score would be good. I've read names like Justin Anderson, Troy Williams, Sam Dekker, Rondae Hollins-Jefferson.

Any thoughts?

To me, best case would be:

Irving / Mo Williams (or Norris Cole) / Dellavedova
JR / Shumpert / Harris
LeBron / SF prospect who can put in 8 pts/game right away / Miller
Love / Thompson / JJ
Mozgov / AV / Perkins

 

[PedroFlu]

regarding re signings, I'd see the following salaries:

JR - around 7M/year;
Shumpert - around 5/6M year;
Thompson - around 13M/year;
Mozgov - around 14M/year

So it totals a raise of around 23M at 16/17 season + new Love / LeBron max. This would put the new total around maybe 110M at that season, considering the Cavs simply keep their guys.

So basically, next MLE 3.5M and draft are the last remaining moves left to Griffin. He's got to get it right. After that there will be no more room. Gotta roll with it for 3-4 years.

 

[Jscc]

This would put the new total around maybe 110M at that season, considering the Cavs simply keep their guys.

That is a horrifying number. Probably for Dan Gilbert, too.

 

[melecoaze]

Holy shit he's averaging 21 points and 9 dimes in the last 10 games. Still has a lot left in the tank.