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Jeff Green and Isaiah Thomas will be for large contracts next season, can either be kept?

By Quenton S. Albertie

INDEPENDENCE, OH - SEPTEMBER 7: Isaiah Thomas is introduced as a Cleveland Cavalier at Cleveland Clinic Courts on September 7, 2017 in Independence, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
INDEPENDENCE, OH - SEPTEMBER 7: Isaiah Thomas is introduced as a Cleveland Cavalier at Cleveland Clinic Courts on September 7, 2017 in Independence, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /
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Will the Cleveland Cavaliers be able to keep Isaiah Thomas or Jeff Green past this season?

With Isaiah Thomas switching agencies to be represented by Aaron Goodwin and Jeff Green switching agencies to be represented by Roc Nation, the Cleveland Cavaliers now have two players (not including Dwyane Wade and Derrick Rose) who will be unrestricted free agents next summer.

Interestingly enough, with Goodwin responsible for landing Damian Lillard and DeMar Derozan contracts that total $289 million over the next five seasons and Roc Nation representing clients from the talent level of James Young to Kevin Durant, it would seem like Thomas and Green are looking to receive hefty paydays next summer.

That’s certainly true of Thomas, who averaged 28.9 points per game last season and is expected to bring a similar level of volume scoring to the Cavs when he returns to health.

Thomas’ firepower on the offensive end and his lack of repute on the defensive end mimic that of Lillard and Derozan’s and due to those similarities, it’s not out of the question that he’ll be in line or a maximum contract. That’s particularly possible if Thomas shines throughout the rest of the regular season and the postseason.

If he puts on All-Star level performances in a championship series, Thomas is a safe bet to be in line for the NBA’s max. Currently, the Cleveland Cavaliers own Thomas’ Bird Rights and can pay him more than any other team so if it comes down to a bidding war, the Cavs have the advantage.

However, if the Cleveland Cavaliers don’t feel as if Thomas is worth a max contract, there are three primary question that need to be asked:

  1. How much money is Thomas willing to leave on the table?
  2. Would Thomas be willing to do a short-term deal?
  3. If they don’t sign Thomas is there any other point guard that provide the all-around scoring the Cavs need at the position?

The answers?

  1. Maybe a little.
  2. Maybe if he’s paid near the max.
  3. Chris Paul and only Chris Paul.

(Editor’s note: If LeBron James does leave the Cleveland Cavaliers this summer, it’s probably more likely that the Cavs sign Thomas to a max contract. This doesn’t just keep fans in the stands and provide Kevin Love with a player he’d enjoy playing with for the rest of the decade. It gives the Cavs the best chance possible to keep winning in James’ absence, important for a team that will still be full of veterans in pursuit of a NBA title.

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Green’s upcoming free agency paints a different picture because he’s seen as an underachiever throughout the league where Thomas has been painted as an overachiever. Green’s efficiency and importance to this Cleveland Cavaliers squad have shown that Green can be extremely useful, even to a championship-contending team, in a defined role though. Green is currently averaging 10.5 points per game while shooting a career-high 50.9 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from three-point range. Per 36 minutes, Green is averaging 18.3 points per game.

While he certainly won’t demand Durant dollars, he could be in line to receive a short-term contract similar to the one that Rudy Gay (a Roc Nation client) received with the San Antonio Spurs (a perennial Western Conference Finals contender).

In the offseason, Gay signed a two-year contract with the Spurs that would pay him a total of $17.2 million. Gay has a player option in his contract that he can pick up if he wants to stay on the Spurs’ team past this season.

For Green, who is making $6 million less than Gay, that contract would be a boon. Gay is currently averaging 11.8 points per game while shooting 45.8 percent from the field and 35.3 percent from three-point range. Per 36 minutes, Gay is averaging 19.1 points per game.

If the season ended and contract negations started today, this would probably be Green and Roc Nation’s first point of reference for Green’s value on the open market.

Another dynamic of the Roc Nation signing comes with the agency being headed by Shawn “JAY-Z” Carter, a New York-native and one of Cleveland Cavaliers forward James’ close friends.

Cavs general manager Koby Altman is also a New York-native.

An agency like Roc Nation, one where the public perception is that it’s headed by a pop culture figure rather than a corporate talking head, might not fit the fancy of most NBA players and owners but it’s hard to see it negatively affecting contract negotiations with Altman. Altman is a man full of confidence and certainly wielding power but he’s cool as a cucumber and approachable as well.

Unfortunately for the Cavs, they won’t be able to offer Green anything more than a minimum contract so it’s unlikely he’ll stay in Cleveland past this season.

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*All stats gathered from www.basketball-reference.com