LaMarcus Aldridge Connected to Cavs but a Long Shot
The Cleveland Cavaliers could lose Kevin Love but, according to a report, could replace him with LaMarcus Aldridge:
Sources: Aldridge expected 2 leave PLD. SA tops his list w/LAL, NYK, DAL, ATL also n hunt. Cavs long shot chancehttp://t.co/Hujob2vDzy
— Chris Broussard (@Chris_Broussard) June 25, 2015
The key words are “long shot” which will be explained in a few moments but has everything to do with the CBA rules related to the salary cap.
According to the story linked in the tweet above, the Cavs have a shot but would have to execute a double sign and trade:
"A long-shot candidate for Aldridge would be the Cleveland Cavaliers, who likely would have to execute a sign-and-trade with Kevin Love. Love opted out of his Cavaliers contract Wednesday and is from Oregon.As ESPN.com reported earlier Wednesday, Portland is expected to make its own hard push in free agency for Love, should Aldridge leave town."
The logic is pretty simple: Love is from the area and could want to return. Aldridge is A) Very good and B) Could want to play for a championship level team like the Cavs. Aldridge is one of only a few players that could be a slightly better fit at the 4 spot with the Cavs than Love.
Aldridge is likely to leave Portland and is reportedly looking at LA or to return to his home state of Texas. The Cavs don’t offer the pizzazz of Hollywood nor the lure of returning home, we learned last summer how strong that could be. They do however have LeBron James and Kyrie Irving, as well as a depth of other talent, that could be a big draw for the big forward.
Yet the devil is in the details. Aldridge can only become a Cavalier via a sign and trade. If he leaves, the Trail Blazers should be able to sign Love directly. Receiving any player via a sign and trade would lock the Cavs into what is called the Apron. The Apron is $4 million above the luxury tax line.
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If the Cavs receive any player that is signed and then traded they could not spend anything more than about $86 million. They would not be able to sign Tristan Thompson, Iman Shumpert or J.R. Smith if they activate the apron. LeBron is likely to make around $22 million while Kyrie Irving and Anderson Varejao will combine for over $24 million. With Timofey Mozgov at $5 million and Alridge commanding a max contract, about $20 million, the Cavs would have $15 million left to fill out the rest of their roster with Mike Miller likely to take up about $3 million with his options.
So while it is exciting to think that if the Cavs lose Kevin Love they can add LaMarcus Aldridge, not only is it a long shot but it isn’t going to happen.
Did Broussard NBA Rumor get you excited about LaMarcus Aldridge to the Cavs?