NBA Rumors: Cavaliers Explain Demands To Sign Former NBA Champion

The Cleveland Cavaliers are looking for suitors for JR Smith, whom they are desperate to get off their wage bill and will have to do so by Aug. 1 before his $15.6 million contract for next season becomes fully guaranteed. On the other hand, they are keen to retain Kevin Love but reports have indicated that if an offer arrives that meets their demands, they will consider a potential trade.

Love is a five-time NBA All-Star and has been one of their main players in recent years. He is just beginning his four-year $120 million extension that he signed last July and the Cavaliers are said to be keen to retain him.

However, according to Cleveland.com, the team will consider trading him if they receive an offer that blows them away and meets their demands. The report cites league sources and says they will demand a combination of young players and draft picks to allow Love to leave this summer and they will not settle for one or the other.

Love is coming off a bad season after struggling with injury and playing just 22 games during the 2018-19 campaign. That is one of the reasons the Cavaliers could consider moving him on, but it is also probably the reason that no team has shown concrete interest in the center/power forward thus far.

The Cavaliers are reportedly happy to take on his $120 million deal and do not consider it a burden going forward. Moreover, new head coach John Beilein is said to be looking forward to coaching the 2016 NBA champion. He believes Love can decrease the pressure on the young players on the roster this upcoming campaign.

Smith, meanwhile, continues to be sidelined by the team as they look for potential trade partners for the shooting guard. The team is said to be surprised it has not found any takers for the player and is willing to release him if it doesn’t find any suitors before his partially guaranteed $15.6 million salary becomes fully guaranteed.