The Cavaliers have a lot going on with their roster this summer. While most of the maneuvering will be focused on re-signing LeBron James, Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson, there are deals of some of the team’s role players that will similarly need to be addressed.
J.R. Smith declined his player option to become an unrestricted free agent, and it’s possible he could be back under the right set of circumstances.
Things are perhaps less certain with Iman Shumpert and Matthew Dellavedova because of their restricted status, which may lead them to seek out offer sheets worth more money than Cleveland is willing to commit. In Shumpert’s case, he already has a short list of teams that have expressed interest.
Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders:Source confirms @Chris_Broussard report that Lakers, Mavs and Bucks are interested in Iman Shumpert. Hearing Raptors are interested too.
— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) June 30, 2015
The Cavaliers can obviously match any offer Shumpert may receive, but it’s worth wondering how high they’ll go. Cap space will be limited once Thompson gets paid, and while Shumpert is an above average defender, he was part of a group that couldn’t buy a bucket during the Finals, shooting just 11-of-43 from the field in the six-game series.