Tag: Cleveland Cavaliers

Could the Nets take a chance in trading for Cavaliers’ Dean Wade?

The Brooklyn Nets and Cleveland Cavaliers have been linked in trade rumors throughout this offseason. Could Dean Wade be a Net next season?

The Brooklyn Nets have decided that they will find their next superstar in the Draft as they are embarking on their latest rebuild in the franchise’s history. At this point in the organization, Brooklyn is concerned with player development and finding diamonds in the rough, a description that one player could fit for them.

When Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report recently wrote that forward Dean Wade is the best kept secret for the Cleveland Cavaliers, NetsDaily pointed out that the Nets have inquired about him multiple times. Those reports have mostly come out from the media that covers Cleveland, specifically Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.

Fedor said on the “Wine and Gold” podcast earlier this year that “A source tells me that the Brooklyn Nets have expressed interest in Dean Wade in the past” when discussing Wade. Wade is one of the players that has come off the bench for the Cavaliers over the past few seasons, but with the team looking for more wing depth, it’s possible that Wade could be one of the players that sees himself out of the rotation or on a different team for next season.

With the Cavaliers reportedly having interest in Brooklyn forwards Cam Johnson and Dorian Finney-Smith, the Nets may find themselves in a position to get a player in Wade that could be one of those players that can shine in an elevated role. However, considering that the Nets and Cavaliers haven’t been able to come close to terms on a trade that would involve forward Isaac Okoro and Finney-Smith, it’s possible that Brooklyn doesn’t get Wade either.

[lawrence-related id=59668,59665,59661]

Nets likely would have traded Dorian Finney-Smith to get Isaac Okoro

Per Evan Dammarell of ClutchPoints, the Brooklyn Nets likely would have traded Dorian Finney-Smith in exchange for forward Issac Okoro.

The Brooklyn Nets are in the early stages of their latest rebuild and as a result, they are expected to trade more of their veterans at some point in the near future. There was a chance that Brooklyn could have taken a chance on another young player, but there are more details surrounding that situation as well.

Per Evan Dammarell of ClutchPoints, his sources confirmed a report from Yahoo! Sports’ Jake Fischer that talks between the Nets and Cleveland Cavaliers about forward Isaac Okoro did not get far. Dammarell also adds that if Brooklyn and Cleveland were able to come to terms on a deal involving Okoro, Nets forward Dorian Finney-Smith “likely” would have been going to the Cavaliers as a result.

Similar to Fischer, Dammarell points out that the possible reason that the two franchises were unable to nail down a deal was because of the financial situations of both teams after free-agency has died down.

The Nets are hard-capped at the first apron after acquiring guard Shake Milton from the New York Knicks as part of a sign-and-trade deal to facilitate the Mikal Bridges trade while the Cavaliers are operating as an over-the-cap, non-tax paying team as of this writing.

It has been reported plenty of times that the Cavaliers have been interested in acquiring either Finney-Smith or Cam Johnson, but they may be trying to keep Okoro at the same time as well. Ultimately, it seems like Brooklyn is unlikely to get Okoro at this point as they have only $5.2 million in space under the first apron.

[lawrence-related id=59658,59652,59653]

Nets’ Cam Johnson is an intriguing player to the Cavaliers

Per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype on Sunday, Brooklyn Nets forward Cam Johnson is an intriguing player to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Brooklyn Nets are embarking on a rebuild now that they have ended their window of contention by trading Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks in exchange for draft capital for the most part. One of the players that could be playing for another team next season is forward Cam Johnson as he appears to be of interest to another team.

HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto reported on Sunday that the Cleveland Cavaliers are intrigued by Johnson. With the Cavaliers looking to improve their standing within the Eastern Conference, they are trying to find players upgrades to put around their better players in Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley.

“Cleveland is also intrigued by Cam Johnson, according to reports,” Scotto wrote. Per various reports over the course of the summer, Johnson has been of interest to plenty of teams hoping to add depth on the wing with a player that can stretch the floor and offer some rebounding help like Johnson can.

Johnson recently spoke about the trade rumors that are surrounding him and other members of the Nets and he said that he is remaining professional until something does or doesn’t happen. However, given that Brooklyn is heading in a different direction than they were when they brought him to the Nets two seasons ago, Johnson may welcome a change of scenery to a team like Cleveland that will be a playoff participant.

[lawrence-related id=59529,59526,59523]

Nets considered potential trade destination for Cavaliers’ Isaac Okoro

Per HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto, the Brooklyn Nets are possibly a sign-and-trade destination for Cleveland Cavaliers forward Isaac Okoro.

The Brooklyn Nets are in the middle of a full-blown rebuild after trading Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks in exchange for as many as five first-round picks and three players. Even though the main part of rebuilding is embracing the young players on the roster, it’s possible that Brooklyn could also consider young players on other NBA rosters.

Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported on Sunday that the Nets are considered to be one of the teams that could be explore sign-and-trade opportunities with the Cleveland Cavaliers for forward Isaac Okoro. What makes this report interesting is that the Cavaliers and the Nets have been linked in the past, but with regard for Cleveland’s reported interest in Cam Johnson and/or Dorian Finney-Smith.

“The Nets are among the teams considered a sign-and-trade possibility for Okoro, though nothing is considered imminent with Brooklyn, sources said,” Scotto wrote. “As previously reported by HoopsHype, Nets forward Dorian Finney-Smith has drawn trade interest from Cleveland and has come up in discussions for Okoro, sources said.”

At the moment, Okoro is a restricted free-agent, meaning that his next contract could go a number of ways as he could leave the Cavaliers in a sign-and-trade deal, re-sign with the Cavaliers on a multi-year deal, or sign his one-year qualifying offer with Cleveland to become an unrestricted free-agent next summer.

Per Scotto, Okoro’s qualifying offer is worth $11.8 million and with Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor recently saying that the Cavaliers have offered Okoro a multi-year deal between $8 million and $10 million per season, it’s possible that Brooklyn could find themselves trading for a 24-year-old that fits the mold of the prototypical 3-and-D wing while being on a reasonable contract.

[lawrence-related id=59526,59523,59517]

Brandon Jennings: Bronny James is better than Matthew Dellavedova

Former NBA player Brandon Jennings praised Bronny James with a backhanded diss of several players and possibly entire championship teams.

Bronny James has become a very polarizing figure in the NBA before he has even played his first official game in the league, and it is all because of who his father is and the optics that situation has created.

While some see decent potential in him and have been encouraged by solid performances in his last two summer league games, others feel he’s nothing more than the product of nepotism. Clearly, it will be a while because the basketball world can accurately judge the younger James as a player.

Former NBA player Brandon Jennings said on X (formerly Twitter) that he already feels the younger James is “better than a lot of role players that played on championship teams in the NBA,” and he seemed to challenge others to name players he would take the younger James over (h/t Cavaliers Nation).

Two people mentioned Matthew Delladedova, a role player on the elder James’ Cleveland Cavaliers teams several years ago. Jennings responded by saying the younger James is better than Dellavedova while saying that other members of those Cavaliers teams were “trash.”

The elder James went to war in the 2015 NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors with a rag-tag group of players after co-stars Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love went down with injuries. Dellavedova, who to that point had been a lackluster young guard in the NBA, had an admirable 20-point effort in Game 3 as Cleveland won to take a 2-1 series lead.

After playing heavy minutes in both Game 2 and Game 3 of the series, the Aussie was so exhausted that he had to be taken to the Cleveland Clinic to be treated for severe cramps.

The elder James tried so hard to lead Cleveland to what would’ve been the city’s first world championship in any major sport since 1964 by averaging 35.8 points, 13.3 rebounds and 8.8 assists a game in the finals. But he shot just 39.8% from the field, and the undermanned Cavs lost in six games.

Of course, he and his team got their revenge just a year later in the championship series when the Cavs overcame a 3-1 series deficit to defeat a Warriors team that had won a record 73 games.

How NBA Twitter reacted when LeBron James returned to the Cavs: ‘For6iven”

Exactly 10 years ago today, LeBron James announced his decision to return to Cleveland, a move that sent shockwaves through the league and, of course, thrown NBA Twitter too. Here’s how people reacted online to the big news:

Exactly 10 years ago today, LeBron James announced his decision to return to Cleveland, a move that sent shockwaves through the league and, of course, thrown NBA Twitter too.

Here’s how people reacted online to the big news:

Report: Cavaliers have kept tabs on Nets’ Dorian Finney-Smith

Per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, the Cleveland Cavaliers have kept tabs on Brooklyn Nets forward Dorian Finney-Smith.

The Brooklyn Nets are in the middle of an offseason that has changed course significantly thanks to the trade of Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks in exchange for three players and as many as five first-round picks. That may not be the end of Brooklyn trading as one of its veterans is being monitored by another Eastern Conference team.

Per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, the Cleveland Cavaliers have “kept tabs” on Nets forward Dorian Finney-Smith ever since he came to Brooklyn as a result of the Kyrie Irving trade to the Dallas Mavericks. Scotto went on to report that the Cavaliers have done so because they’ve “admired” him, probably because of the way that he can fit right in on almost any team due to his skill set.

Finney-Smith has been the subject of plenty of trade rumors over the past 1.5 seasons due to his ability to shoot the three-point shot while being able to play defense against some of the bigger forwards in the NBA. Finney-Smith is essentially a plug-and-play kind of veteran who is looking for an opportunity to win a championship that is no longer possible with the Nets as presently constructed.

Brooklyn has had chances in the past to trade Finney-Smith away, including for as many as two first-round picks according to Brian Lewis of the New York Post, but no deal has materialized as of right now. With Cleveland being another team looking for depth on the wing that is also interested in Finney-Smith. it should be only a matter of time before he’s wearing a different jersey.

[lawrence-related id=59345,59342,59340]

Nets’ Cam Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith could be options for the Cavaliers

The Brooklyn Nets have not traded Cam Johnson or Dorian Finney-Smith yet. Could the Cleveland Cavaliers be interested in either of them?

The Brooklyn Nets are one of the teams in the NBA that are assumed to be sellers after trading Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks in exchange for Bojan Bogdanovic and draft picks. Being that Brooklyn is clearly heading into a rebuild after making that trade, there are still surprisingly a few veterans left on the roster.

Two of the players that are still on the Nets’ roster are forwards Cam Johnson and Dorian Finney-Smith leading to some in the NBA space, such as ESPN’s Zach Lowe, to be surprised that those players haven’t been traded to contenders yet. Michael Scotto of HoopsHype recently reported that Johnson and Finney-Smith are among six players that are considered to be trade candidates at this point in time.

“I know they (Cleveland Cavaliers) would love to get another 3-and-D wing and obviously, the Brooklyn guys are still sitting out there,” Lowe said during a recent episode of “The Lowe Post” podcast. “I’m actually a little surprised that Cam Johnson and Finney-Smith, one of them has not been traded yet.”

The Cavaliers are one of the many teams in the Eastern Conference that are looking to keep pace with the Boston Celtics fresh off a championship win along with teams like the Knicks adding more perimeter depth. Since Johnson and Finney-Smith came to Brooklyn through trades during the 2022-23 season, there have been plenty of teams to show interest in either player.

As Lowe points out, it’s plausible that the reason a trade has not happened between Cleveland and Brooklyn is because the Cavaliers do not have a first-round pick to trade that would convey earlier than 2030. With Cleveland looking to add depth and the Nets looking to add young players and draft picks, there may not be enough for the teams to do business.

If the Cavaliers were willing to trade forward Jaylon Tyson, the 20th overall pick from the 2024 NBA Draft, something could get done with that. However, time will tell if Cleveland is willing to play ball knowing that there isn’t much draft capital and young players for them to deal away.

[lawrence-related id=59306,59298,59300]

Cavaliers sign No. 20 pick Jaylon Tyson to first-round contract

Former Cal guard Jaylon Tyson, the 20th pick in the draft, signed his rookie-scale contract with the Cavaliers on Wednesday.

Former Cal guard Jaylon Tyson, the 20th pick in the 2024 NBA draft, signed his rookie-scale contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday, the team announced.

He will make $2,771,800 next season as the 20th pick.

Tyson was named to the All-Pac-12 first team after averaging 19.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.2 steals on 36% shooting from 3-point range in 31 games. His 607 points were the seventh-most by a Cal player in a single season.

The 6-foot-7 standout registered 17 20-point games, the most by a Golden Bear since Jerome Randle in the 2009-10 season. He was one of two players from a major conference to average at least 19 points, six rebounds and 3.5 assists.

Tyson had his best college season at Cal and quickly rose up draft boards to be a first-round pick. He can create for himself and others, and flourished as a shooter who can pull up from virtually all over the court. He also brings good size at 218 pounds.

The 21-year-old is expected to suit up with the Cavaliers in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, Nevada. The team will play at least five games, beginning with the Orlando Magic on July 12 at the Pavilion (4 p.m. EDT, NBA TV).

Tyson will likely be joined in Las Vegas by undrafted rookies Darius Brown II (Utah State), DJ Burns (NC State) and Nae’Qwan Tomlin (Memphis), among others.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 tag=1406]

Most recent Notre Dame players to be NBA draft selections

All of these players did the Irish proud before making the jump.

Nobody on Notre Dame’s veteran-laden team from this past season will be selected in Thursday’s NBA draft. In fact, given the inexperience across the board on the upcoming season’s roster and under a new coach no less, it could be quite a while before we see another Notre Dame player drafted. On the bright side, that means no early departures except via the transfer portal. Then again, it sure would be nice to have NBA-ready talent in South Bend.

The only way to deal with a challenging present and short-term future is to look to the past. In this case, the way to go about that is to look at former players who heard their names called on draft night over the past several years. Of the 62 former Notre Dame players who have suited up in the NBA or ABA, 41 have entered professional basketball via the draft. Here are the most recent ones: