The Cleveland Cavaliers are working to sign JR Smith to a contract and get Tristan Thompson on a contract extension this summer after signing back Matthew Dellavedova, LeBron James and Kevin Love, as the team wants both players to return and this comes as the Cavs could bring over Sasha Kaun on a free agent contract from Russia, while a trade with Anderson Varejao is looking unlikely.
The Cavaliers have been as active as anyone this offseason and now that they have signed back Dellavedova following the trade of Brendan Haywood, more deals could be on the way. The Cavs traded Haywood and Mike miller to the Blazers to help clear out some money to sign back Dellavedova and now Smith could be next. According to Brian Windhorst, the Cavs and Smith are negotiation on a new deal and it's likely that the guard will be making less money than last season.
The Cavs are also working on a contract extension with Tristan Thompson and Chris Haynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that the sides are "still talking." Haynes reported earlier in the offseason that the gap between Thompson and the Cavs was not a big one, but that the sides have "still not reached an agreement." Thompson is expected to return and James wrote on Twitter when asked about Thompson re-signing with the team, replying "Yeah of course he will."
Windhorst reported after the Haywood trade that the Cavs also could consider bringing over Sasha Kaun from Russia, as the team wants another big behind Timofey Mozgov. Anderson Varejao is on the roster, but he is coming off of an injury and was mentioned in trade talks earlier in the offseason. A trade with Varejao is unlikely at this time and it comes after the Cavs tried to deal him in a trade with the Brooklyn Nets for Joe Johnson.
Kaun reportedly had interest from the Nets and Spurs this offseason, but the Cavs have his draft rights and now could consider signing him from Russia. Kaun is 30 and the team continues to hold his draft rights and he could be a solid option behind Mozgov and Varejao for the Cavs. Signing Smith is likely the next move for the Cavs and it comes after he opted out of his contract this offseason. The Cleveland Plain Dealer reported that the Cavs were "not thrilled" with that move, as the $6.4 million option would have been a fair contract for the team to deal with this season.
Smith was looking to get more money on the market but at this point it looks like that is not happening. Smith averaged 12 points for the Cavs and Knicks last season and 3.1 rebounds per game while shooting over 40 percent from the floor. The Lakers reportedly had some interest in Smith, but the Cavs look like his only realistic landing spot. Thompson is expected to re-sign and it comes after premature reports earlier in the month that the team and Thompson agreed on a four year, $80 million deal. The Cavs also brought back Matthew Dellavedova on a one year contract.
Check here for more on the Cavaliers offseason moves and signing back Smith and Thompson.
