Cavaliers news, features and notes
- Cavs prepare for visit with UNLV’s Anthony Bennett
- NBA Draft: Cleveland Cavaliers could make Ben McLemore first shooting guard to go No. 1 in nearly 40 years
- Cavaliers’ Kyrie Irving, Dion Waiters, Tyler Zeller invited to minicamp for national team
- Kyrie Irving, Dion Waiters and Tyler Zeller chosen for Team USA minicamp
- Offensive-minded Igor Kokoskov to join Mike Brown’s staff with Cavaliers
- Cavs to hire offensive-minded Igor Kokoskov for Mike Brown's coaching staff
- Jason Lloyd: Lottery victory brings Cavs plenty of options through trades and draft
- Cleveland Cavaliers win draft lottery, will pick No. 1 again
- Cavs win draft lottery, will pick No. 1 in NBA Draft
- NBA Draft lottery: Cavs’ third-best odds have history of turning into top selection
Free agent update: Derek Fisher linked to Cavs in report
Cleveland made its way onto a list of possible destinations for free agent point guard Derek Fisher, according to a New York Times story today.
Fisher would be a terrific fit in a young locker room and would be an ideal backup to Kyrie Irving, but let's not get carried away. The Cavaliers are still years away from legitimate contention and Fisher doesn't strike me as a guy searching for a rebuilding project.
Calls to his agent, Rob Pelinka, were not returned, but I would suspect the only way Fisher would seriously consider Cleveland is if the Cavs woefully overpaid for him. That hasn't been their history.
Ersan Ilyasova remains intriguing because of his age (25), size (6-foot-10) and toughness. The Cavs have liked Ilyasova for a couple of years, it's just a matter of how much they're willing to spend.
They have struggled luring free agents here, but Ilyasova will likely go to the highest bidder. With $20 million in cap space, the Cavs certainly have the room to sign him. But how much is too much?
Ilyasova has a standing offer to return to Milwaukee for about $8 million per season. He'll probably get a better offer elsewhere, but I just don't see the Cavs climbing into the $10 to $12 million range it might ultimately take to land him.
As for their own restricted free agent, Alonzo Gee, nothing appears imminent. I spoke this afternoon with Gee's agent, Andre Buck, who said he continues to talk with several teams about an offer, but doesn't seem close yet to agreeing on a contract elsewhere.
"We still have some time," Buck said.
Players can't officially sign elsewhere until July 11. The Cavs will have three days to match any offer sheet Gee signs.