- Damon Jones’ grateful response to LeBron James naming him one of the best shooters he’s ever played with
- Report: Rajon Rondo allegedly threatened to kill his former partner and pulled a gun on her
- Report: J.B. Bickerstaff and Koby Altman have discussed a potential change to the Cavs coaching staff
- Cavs insider indicates Rich Paul is expected to pursue extension in $180M range for Darius Garland
- Dan Gilbert’s confident statement regarding Koby Altman after he misses out on Executive of the Year
- Report: Kyrie Irving wanted LeBron James-like control with Brooklyn Nets
- Here’s how close Cavs exec Koby Altman came to winning Executive of the Year honors
- Darius Garland explains why it hurt so much that the Cavs didn’t make the playoffs this season
- Video: Kyrie Irving lashes out during GTA Twitch stream, calls other players ‘cockroaches’
- Report: 2 former Cavs big men open to returning to franchise
Larry Nance Jr. Denies Report That Lakers GM Rob Pelinka Lied to Him About Trade
- Updated: April 30, 2019
Larry Nance Jr. was acquired by the Cleveland Cavaliers from the Los Angeles Lakers on Feb. 8, 2018, a trade that brought him back to the area where he grew up. In the wake of a report which stated that Nance had accused Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka of lying to him about his status at the time, Nance took to social media to set the record straight.
Just got a chance to read some of these articles about Rob Pelinka supposedly promising me I’d stay in LA.. Wanted to clear the air and say that is not the case. This league is a business and we all know it. Rob and I had and still have a great relationship.
— Larry Nance Jr (@Larrydn22) April 30, 2019
The controversy began when Bill Oram of The Athletic wrote of the turmoil currently surrounding the Lakers organization and indicated how Nance’s trade was supposedly part of that internal chaos:
“Nance Jr. and his fiancée, his college girlfriend, were interested in buying a house. He wanted to get a sense of whether the Lakers planned on keeping him around, and Pelinka told him that the Lakers would only trade him if it meant landing one of the game’s three best players. He told him to buy the house, multiple sources confirmed.”
Instead, Nance and Jordan Clarkson were acquired for Cavs point guard Isaiah Thomas, veteran forward Channing Frye and a first-round pick. None of the players sent in exchange for Nance and Clarkson would fall into the category of a top-three player.
However, Nance made clear that such a scenario never took place and indicated that he and Pelinka have maintained a relationship.
Since joining the Cavaliers, the 26-year-old Nance has played in 91 games and started 40 of those contests. He’s averaged 9.2 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists, while also offering an array of dazzling dunks along the way.
More importantly for the Cavaliers, Nance signed a four-year contract extension last October worth an estimated $45 million. The deal begins next season, with Nance potentially in position to have a larger impact with increased playing time. That’s because of the possibility of the Cavs dealing Tristan Thompson at some point during the offseason or before next February’s trade deadline.
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