The Cleveland Cavaliers are in transition right now, and Kyle Korver could be available to suitors.
With LeBron James leaving for a second time, the Cleveland Cavaliers are trying to decide which direction to go. Keeping it afloat with Kevin Love as the main star is an option, but trading a bunch of veterans and going into rebuild mode seems more likely. On the latter path, according to Terry Pluto of Cleveland.com, the Cavaliers are shopping Kyle Korver.
Korver is still exactly who it’s perceived he is. In 73 games (four starts) this past season for the Cavaliers, he made 43.6 percent of his 3-pointers on his way to averaging 9.2 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. Not surprisingly, nearly 78 percent of his shot attempts (376 of 484) were from beyond the arc.
Korver is due to make $7.56 million next season, and the $7.5 million in 2019-20. But only $3.4 million of that $7.5 million for 2019-20 is guaranteed, so overall Korver would not be a huge financial burden for most teams.
By shedding Korver’s salary, a multi-year deal for Rodney Hood would be more palatable for the Cavaliers. As a far younger player than Korver, and with a more varied skill set, Hood is easily the better player for Cleveland to keep around as they face a rebuild/reset.
Rumors and what the Cavaliers are saying publicly have differed regarding whether Love may be on the move. But Korver and George Hill have contracts that aren’t fully guaranteed past this season, and prior to acquiring Hill the Cavaliers reportedly inquired about a buyout in advance of the possibility James would leave in free agency. That has obviously happened, so Hill is at minimum on the trade block with a 2018-19 salary of $19 million.
The one thing Korver does carries value, and plenty of other teams could use a prolific 3-point shooter. The key is having other players who can cover up where he doesn’t contribute, so the numbers of possible suitors for him stands to be limited to contending teams.