After the Cleveland Cavaliers finally brought home a championship by defeating the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals, the Cavs aren’t expected to make a lot of personnel changes in the off-season. LeBron James has already expressed his intent to be with the Cleveland Cavaliers for the 2016-17 NBA season, and there’s no reason to think that Kyrie Irving or Kevin Love won’t return. Cleveland’s single acquisition from the 2016 NBA Draft (Key Felder of Oakland, No. 54 overall, acquired from the Atlanta Hawks) isn’t expected to make a noticeable impact on the Cavaliers’ rotation next season. But the Cavs may be forced to continue without one of their most unique and charismatic players: Matthew Dellavedova.
Dellavedova and the Milwaukee Bucks have reached an agreement of $38.4 million over four years. Cleveland will have three days to decide whether or not they want to match that offer and keep the scrappy guard in Cleveland through the end of the 2019-20 NBA season. However, if the tweet from LeBron James has any authority, it looks as though Cleveland won’t be matching Milwaukee’s offer for the restricted free agent.
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
Matthew Dellavedova & Cleveland Cavaliers
As noted by the Mercury News , Dellavedova has played for the Cleveland Cavs three years, after going undrafted in the 2013 NBA Draft and earning his way on to the squad one year before LeBron James returned. When Kyrie Irving was injured in Game 1 of the 2015 NBA Finals, Dellavedova noticeably stepped up his game to help fill the huge hole left by Kyrie’s injury. Delly has played in 215 regular season games for the Cavs and 40 NBA Playoff games.
The Milwaukee Bucks
The Bucks didn’t have a great 2015-16 season, as they finished last in the Central Division with a record of 33-49. They finished 11 games behind the Detroit Pistons, who were the 8th seed from the Eastern Conference in the 2016 NBA Finals. The Bucks also signed Mirza Teletovic , the Bosnian power forward who spent three seasons with the Brooklyn Nets and last season with the Phoenix Suns.
In the 2016 NBA Draft, the Bucks added big man Thon Maker from South Sudan (No. 10 overall) and Malcolm Brogdon (No. 36 overall), a guard from Virginia. They will be without O.J. Mayo , so Dellavedova’s presence at guard could be even more crucial than the Bucks initially realized. Assuming Matthew plays for Milwaukee next season, he’ll be there to support Michael Carter-Williams at guard. He’ll have the opportunity to play alongside Jabari Parker.
BREAKING: NBA announces OJ Mayo has been dismissed & disqualified from league for violating Anti-Drug Program terms. pic.twitter.com/ATLJjQHKkM
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) July 1, 2016
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The Cleveland Cavaliers initially offered Dellavedova $1.4 million for the 2016-17 season. Few think that the Cleveland Cavs will match Milwaukee’s offer, especially in light of LeBron’s tweet. Matthew Dellavedova is currently in Australia preparing for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games.
BREAKING: LeBron James says he’ll return to Cavaliers to defend title in 2016-17 NBA season, per @clevelanddotcom pic.twitter.com/TS4A964dgd
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 22, 2016
Interestingly enough, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Milwaukee Bucks play each other on the first day of the NBA’s Summer League on July 8. Dellavedova wouldn’t be playing in the league, whether he ultimately signs with the Cavs or the Bucks.
[Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images]
