The amount of depth currently on the Cleveland Cavaliers roster, coupled with an excess of guaranteed contracts, has reportedly put two Cavaliers players, veteran Richard Jefferson and second-year man Kay Felder on the trading block. Jefferson is a beloved veteran who was a part of the 2016 championship squad, while Felder finds himself in a position where he’ll see even less time at point guard than his limited amount last season.
Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net indicates that both players could also end up being released when final cuts are made, unless trades can be made. That’s because after signing Dwyane Wade, the Cavaliers now have 16 guaranteed contracts to fill 15 roster spots.
“The Cavs have recently explored making some smaller-scale trades, including some involving Jefferson,” Amico wrote. “But nothing has come close and the Cavs may just have to outright release a player.”
Jefferson’s $2.5 million deal actually amounts to $10.5 million because of luxury tax penalties, so trading him would obviously be the preferable option since a release would still subject the team to paying that money.
Amico noted that Felder is also a trade candidate, though he only has a partially-guaranteed contract due to his already tenuous status.
“He (Felder) too has been made available in talks,” Amico wrote. “Felder, however, has drawn little interest. He is considered a long shot to make the Cavs’ final roster.”
In addition to Jefferson and Felder, Amico notes that one other Cavs player could again see his name mentioned in future trade discussions.
“While the Cavs aggressively tried to trade shooting guard Iman Shumpert during the offseason, they found no takers,” Amico wrote. “It appears talks centered on Shumpert have cooled considerably — though the Cavs are said to be open to revisiting those conversations before or during the season.”
The Cavaliers play the first of five preseason games beginning on Wednesday night with a home game against the Atlanta Hawks. They’ll officially open up the 2017-18 season on Oct. 17, when they host the Boston Celtics and former Cavs point guard Kyrie Irving.
