Australian Matthew Dellavedova’s reportedly looking for $4 million US to stay at the Cleveland Cavaliers. That appears more likely, however, as time drags on.
A restricted free agent, Dellavedova could possibly move to another franchise in search of a better offer than what he’s getting from the Cavs at the moment, but the Cavs have the right to match any offer he gets.
On about $800,000 for the 2014-2015 season, Dellavedova went from zero to hero back to zero in the Cavs NBA finals campaign. He played a few blinders but the series ultimately ended in disappointment for Cleveland.
A step up in his paygrade would be well deserved but industry opinion is that Dellavedova is asking for a bit more than he’s worth at the moment, with an increase to around $2 million a year far more reasonable.
Complicating the issue is the fact that the Cavs signed veteran Mo Williams to be their point guard backup for Kyrie Irving in the off-season, likely placing Dellavedova third in line for gametime.
However, Dellavedova is worth more to the Cavs at the moment than just his on-court exploits. His toughness and aggression made him a fan favourite in the NBA Playoffs, seeing his merchandising value make a jump.
Then there’s the issue of the luxury tax, costing the Cavs more and more as their salary roll increases. At the end of the day $4 million isn’t really just $4 million to them, it’s a fair bit more out of their ledger that they don’t want to pay.
Coming in on top of all that is the simple fact that Dellavedova’s got a massively better chance of success at the Cavs than he does elsewhere.
While the teammates of LeBron James certainly put in their own fair share of good performances last season, there’s no doubt about where the star power resides at Cleveland.
LeBron makes his teammates, including Dellavedova, look good – probably a fair chunk better than they really are – and lifts them up to greater heights than they’re going to reach elsewhere. Would you really want to give that up?
All things considered Dellavedova just doesn’t seem likely to pull in the kind of offer he’s asking for from anywhere else, making it probable that he and the Cavs will eventually find a compromise that still sees his paychecks increase in value but probably not by as much as he’d like.
His agent, Billy Duffy, is one of the best dealers in the business though, so you wouldn’t rule out anything just yet.
The Lakers’ decision to fire coach Darvin Ham just days after their first-round exit is merely the beginning of what will be a flurry…
Pat Beverley missed the fan he was intending to hit with his first throw late in the Bucks' season-ending loss - then went again!
If people can lose their job, and clubs can face massive payouts, due to the behaviour of coaches, it will drastically change the way sporting teams in Australia will be run.
A Serbian, a Canadian, a Slovenian and a Greek fellow walked into a bar … Well, they’ve actually walked into the NBA and now…
Nikola Jokic has scored 32 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead defending NBA champions Denver past LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers…
There will undoubtedly be upset results here and there in the NBA playoffs but there’s an overwhelming sense of fait accompli that Boston will…
