Cleveland Cavaliers Rumors: JR Smith Signs Soon? Tristan Thompson Extension Likely, Sasha Kaun Free Agent Option Over Anderson Varejao Trade

Aug 04, 2015 10:18 AM EDT
J.R. Smith #5, Kevin Love #0 and Tristan Thompson #13 of the Cleveland Cavaliers
J.R. Smith #5, Kevin Love #0 and Tristan Thompson #13 of the Cleveland Cavaliers face off against the Oklahoma City Thunder on January 25, 2015 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio."

The Cleveland Cavaliers are still working on signing JR Smith to a new contract and Tristan Thompson to an extension for LeBron James and this comes as the team could consider bringing over Sasha Kaun on a free agent deal, as Anderson Varejao could be a trade option after the team signed Matthew Dellavedova, Kevin Love and James Jones.

The Cavaliers have been as active as any team this offseason and they still have moves to make, as key players are still on the market from last season. Smith has not had much interest from elsewhere, with media reports about the Lakers looking to sign the guard getting some play, but nothing major. Thompson is a restricted free agent and that makes him very likely to be back with the Cavs, but it may not be on an extension with things taking this long.

There were reports earlier in the season that the Cavs and Thompson were close on a four year, $80 million extension, but the deal was not agreed on. According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the Cavaliers "are still talking" with Thompson about an extension and the sides are looking to get a deal done. If the sides can't agree to a deal, the one-year, $6.8 million qualifying offer could be the option for Thompson, as that will make him a free agent next summer.

James has said top the media that he wants Thompson back and he expects the team to sign him to an extension. According to the Pacific Daily News, JR Smith said while working with Cavs Director of Player Development Phil Handy at a basketball camp that he "wants to make a difference" with whatever team he is with. The Cavs are expected to keep Smith, but as Rotoworld writes, there is a chance that "every day that goes by" that he is not signed "makes him less likely to be back with the Cavs." The team added bench scoring in Williams, Jefferson and Jones, but Smith showed last season he can be a great spark for the Cavs when he is making shots.

The Cavs are also reportedly looking for some front line depth, as the team wants another center behind Anderson Varejao and Timofey Mozgov, according to Brian Windhorst at ESPN. Varejao has been injured and could be a trade target and Windhorst writes that the team is considering bringing over Sasha Kaun. The Cavs have Kaun's draft rights and according to Cavs Sports Talk, Kaun is "willing" to sign a $1.2 million deal with the team.

The Cavaliers signed back Kevin Love this offseason and that was an important move after the forward was injured in the playoffs last season. After a slow start, the team finally appeared to click with Love in the lineup during the second half of the season and it was tough when he had to sit on the sidelines in the finals. Love signed back to try and win and Love previously averaged a career best 26 points and 12 rebounds in 77 games in his final season with the Wolves. Last season Love averaged 16 points and nearly 10 rebounds per game and he is hoping to be back in the finals.

Check here for more on the Cavaliers offseason moves or for more on Smith and Thompson coming back.

Get the Most Popular Stories in a Weekly Newsletter
© 2015 Sportsworldreport.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.

Join the Conversation

  • Get Connected
  • Share
  • Like Us on Facebook
  • @sportswr
  • Recommend on Google
Real Time Analytics