Kyrie Irving, a point guard with such immense talent that he could one day be considered the best at his position in the NBA (if he can stay healthy), has come to terms with the Cleveland Cavaliers on a $90-million contract extension
He cannot sign the five-year deal until July 10, per league rules.
Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert, general manager David Griffin, new coach David Blatt and other team officials traveled to Irving’s home in New Jersey and presented him with the offer just as free agency began at 12:01 a.m. ET Tuesday.
That’s a show of serious commitment.
Irving tweeted: “I’m here for the long haul Cleveland!!! and I’m ecstatic!! Super excited and blessed to be here and apart of something special #ClevelandKID.”
Irving has made two straight All-Star Games, was named MVP of last year’s festival in New Orleans and has positioned himself as the new-age point guard, a ball-dominant, score-first attacker.
But Irving also has been prone to injury and has to shed the image of holding the ball too much.
LeBron James Wants Max Money
Teams that contact LeBron James about signing him can forget about a bargain-basement deal. Rather, according to sources, James will tell suitors that he wants no less than the maximum salary number for next season.
For James, that’s about $20.7 million. It will not be like in 2010, when James accepted less than the maximum salary in signing with the Miami Heat, making way for the team to sign other free agents.
As of now, James is not scheduling any pitch meetings with teams; he will let agent Rich Paul handle the opening stages of talks. In 2010, James scheduled six meetings with teams at his offices in Cleveland over the first three days of July.
James’ demand for the length of his next deal is in flux. After the Finals, James said flexibility was important to him, hinting that he may not be looking for a full four- or five-year contract.
Currently, seven teams have the cap space to offer James a deal starting at $20.7 million next season: the Heat, Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks, Phoenix Suns, Philadelphia 76ers, Utah Jazz and Orlando Magic.
Jason Kidd Officially Named Coach of Bucks
The Bucks sent the Nets two second-round picks (one in 2015 and another in 2019) for Jason Kidd, who went 44-38 in his only season as Brooklyn coach.
In what likely will be his last NBA coaching job, Jason Kidd was officially named coach of the Milwaukee Bucks, just one year after his first-ever coaching job with the Brooklyn Nets.
Kidd’s reputation has been sullied, perhaps irreparably, for first trying to go behind the back of Nets general manager Billy King and become the team president, and secondly, for pursuing a job with the Bucks when they already had a head coach in Larry Drew.
To make room for Kidd, Milwaukee sent two second-round draft picks to Brooklyn and fired Drew, who had coached just one season after a stint with the Atlanta Hawks.
“When you list the characteristics that make a successful head coach, you would include leadership, communication and a competitive drive,” Bucks general manager John Hammond said in a statement. “Jason used all of those traits to become a 10-time All-Star player in the NBA, and has now translated his on-court success to the bench. We welcome him to the Bucks organization and look forward to building a championship-caliber team with him as our head coach.
“Despite the challenging season, Larry always handled himself and represented the Bucks in a first-class manner. Larry did the best he could in a difficult situation, especially given all of our injuries. I want to thank Larry for all of his efforts, and we wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors.”
