NBA Free Agency: Cleveland Cavaliers Letting Matthew Dellavedova Sign With Milwaukee Bucks

In the NBA, when you win a championship, other teams are going to want a piece of your action. Sometimes, you cannot afford to prevent that from happening. According to ESPN, the Cleveland Cavaliers are going to allow Matthew Dellavedova to join the Milwaukee Bucks next season. The backup guard might even have a bigger role.

The Milwaukee Bucks had signed Matthew Dellavedova to a four-year contract worth $38.4 million. Since Dellavedova was a restricted free agent, the Cleveland Cavaliers had the right to match the contract and retain his services. The Cavaliers are really strapped when it comes to the salary cap, so a tough decision needed to be made.

Since their salary cap situation will make it hard for them to collect more assets, the Cleveland Cavaliers tried to get something for nothing. Management engaged the Milwaukee Bucks to see if a sign and trade could take place. The Bucks have some valuable assets in their possession.

Congrats to my brother! @matthewdelly on his deal! Good luck in Milwaukee! Very deserving to you and your family. 1

— LeBron James (@KingJames) July 1, 2016

Statistically, Matthew Dellavedova doesn’t leave a huge void. According to ESPN, Dellavedova averaged 7.5 points, 4.4 assists, and 2.1 rebounds a game. A lot of what the Australian-born combination guard provided nightly to the Cleveland Cavaliers did not show up on the stat sheets.

One of the best traits about Matthew Dellavedova is his effort. If the Cleveland Cavaliers’ starting lineup was playing with low energy, then head coach Tyronn Lue, who should be receiving a nice pay raise after winning his first NBA Championship, had the luxury of inserting the 6’4?, 200-pound guard into the game and hoping that his energy is contagious.

Thanks to his effort and energy, Matthew Dellavedova is one of the peskiest defenders in the NBA. While he did not make as big of an impact during the NBA Finals this past season, he played a key role in slowing down Stephen Curry while Kyrie Irving was absent from the previous season finale.

According to SB Nation, Matthew Dellavedova wanted a multiple year contract from the Cleveland Cavaliers last summer. The Cavaliers wanted to keep flexibility with their salary cap so that they can some more pieces for this past season.

By turning down the contract extension request, the Cleveland Cavaliers actually did Matthew Dellavedova quite the favor. With the salary cap rising to record levels in the NBA this summer, Dellavedova was able to score a contract that would not have been there last summer.

There are those that believe that Matthew Dellavedova might have some resentment towards the Cleveland Cavaliers. However, his actions proved differently. Even though he didn’t get a lot of playing time in the NBA Finals, Dellavedova was also cheering on his teammates. Signing with the Milwaukee Bucks was simply a smart business move.

There’s still a chance that Matthew Dellavedova will get to be teammates with Dwyane Wade, a good friend of LeBron James. According to the Sun Sentinel, Wade wants more than the two-year contract worth $40 million that was offered by the Miami Heat.

Dwyane Wade has sacrificed so much over the years financially for the Miami Heat. It helped them win NBA Championships. Now, he wants the team to reward him for all the loyalty that he has shown over the years. The Milwaukee Bucks could end up benefiting tremendously from the tough situation that Heat president Pat Riley is currently trying to resolve.

The Milwaukee Bucks have some tremendous gazelles on the roster, some of the most athletic athletes in the NBA. Adding a scrapper like Matthew Dellavedova could help make the roster more balanced.

[Photo by Mike Lawrie/Getty Images]