Going into Thursday night’s NBA Draft without a general manager did not prevent the Cavaliers from pursuing trades and trying to bolster their roster to better compete with the Golden State Warriors.
But they had few assets, surrendered in building the team that captured the 2016 championship and celebrated in a massive parade exactly a year ago. The Cavs entered the night with no draft picks, no tradeable first-rounders until 2021 and no money to buy a draft pick.
Discussions included talks about the San Antonio Spurs’ Danny Green, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, but the asking price was high.
And hanging over the franchise was its interest in Chauncey Billups, a five-time All-Star guard now an ESPN analyst, to become president of basketball operations.
Cavs Assistant General Manager Koby Altman served as second in command behind owner Dan Gilbert after GM David Griffin and Gilbert parted ways Monday.
The Athletic reported late Wednesday night that Billups had been offered a five-year contract, with ESPN initially reporting a multiyear offer. According to Windhorst, Billups would be able to hire an experienced general manager to assist him, but was “conflicted” over whether to accept the job.
Meanwhile, two people familiar with the negotiations told the Associated Press on Thursday that Gilbert had not yet given Billups a contract proposal.
Multiple websites reported that Billups met with Gilbert on Tuesday and Wednesday, the second day including a visit to Quicken Loans Arena to be introduced to executives who would work under him.
Billups, 40, played in the NBA for 17 seasons and was the 2004 NBA Finals MVP with the Detroit Pistons. He has no front office experience, but has long dreamt of working in that capacity. He is close friends with Cavs coach Tyronn Lue. He reportedly is not scared off by the fact that Cavs star LeBron James can become a free agent after next season.
Windhorst said family issues were holding Billups back, with his daughter going into her senior year in high school. Billups lives in Denver and commutes to Los Angeles for his work at ESPN.
Of greater concern is the fact that Gilbert has already had four general managers in 12 years and none of them has received a contract extension.
The latest was Griffin, who departed Monday along with senior vice president Trent Redden. Both of their contracts expire on June 30. But Griffin left behind parameters for trades, with the Pacers’ Paul George the top target.
Shortly after the No. 1 pick was announced Thursday, news broke that one of the Cavs’ other targets, the Chicago Bulls’ Jimmy Butler, was bound for the Minnesota Timberwolves in a trade.
Green, 30, was drafted by the Cavs in the second round in 2009 and released in October 2010. He’s spent the past six seasons with the Spurs and last season averaged 7.3 points and shot 38 percent from 3-point range. The two-way wing player would be an upgrade for a Cavs bench that struggled in the Finals.
According to Windhorst, the Cavs’ pursuit of George and Butler in multiteam deals stalled because the Cavs could not get the value they believed they were due for four-time All-Star Kevin Love.
The Philadelphia 76ers had barely announced Markelle Fultz the No. 1 pick when word broke that the Timberwolves were dealing for Butler. The Timberwolves were to give up Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn and the No. 7 pick, with the T-Wolves also receiving the Bulls’ No. 16 pick. Butler will join Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins, making the Timberwolves a team on the rise in the Western Conference.
Love, 28, had his best statistical season in his three with the Cavs, averaging 19 points and 11.1 rebounds. In the playoffs, those numbers were 18.9 points and 11.9 rebounds. He hit 20 points and 10 rebounds in four of 18 playoff games and recorded a double-double in eight of 18.
But he is considered a defensive liability, diminishing his worth in what would have had to be a three-team trade because of the Cavs’ lack of assets.
“We came into tonight’s NBA Draft with an opportunistic mindset should a situation develop for us to acquire any pick we felt would help improve our roster,” Cavaliers Assistant General Manager Koby Altman said in a statement Friday. “While we had discussions specifically focused on acquiring picks tonight, we did not feel any of the draft-related options available to us created an opportunity to improve our team or tie into larger deals at this point. As we do year-round, our group will continue to creatively and aggressively evaluate and consider potential trades and free agent signings that would help us reach our singular goal of winning another NBA championship.”
The Cavs will turn to free agency to try to strengthen their roster. Teams can begin negotiating and making verbal agreements on July 1, with the formal free agency and trade period beginning on July 6.
