Report: Former Cavs’ sharpshooter Kyle Korver considering retirement

Former Cleveland Cavaliers’ sharpshooter Kyle Korver has had a heck of a career, and it’s been reported that he is considering retirement, which if that’s the case, he should have his head held high.

Fans of the Cleveland Cavaliers seem to have very fond memories of Kyle Korver, who was acquired via trade from the Atlanta Hawks in the 2016-17 season, and immediately made his presence felt as a tremendous shooter, of which was always the case in Cleveland, before he was reportedly traded to the Utah Jazz in the early part of the 2018-19 season (his second tenure with them) for Alec Burks and two future second-round picks.

Playing with LeBron James for most of Korver’s tenure in Cleveland truly maximized the veteran’s perimeter shooting prowess, both as a spot-up and off-screen threat.

In 124 games with Cleveland, Korver averaged 9.3 points on a remarkable 64.1% effective field goal shooting and shot 45.4% from three-point range (per Basketball Reference). Korver was one of the best catch-and-shoot players in the NBA for a long, long time, though, obviously for much more than that sample size with the Cavaliers.

Now, though, the 38-year-old Korver is reportedly considering retirement, according to Ryan McDonald of the Deseret News (and h/t Amico Hoops’ Colton Jones). Korver’s current team, the Jazz, were recently eliminated by the Houston Rockets in the team’s first-round series in five games.

Here’s what he said in regards to his future in the NBA, per McDonald.

"“There’s a real cost as you get older,” he said of playing professional basketball. “There’s what you need to put into the game, but there’s also a family cost. That’s probably where I’m at is weighing that cost.”"

As the aforementioned Jones noted, Korver considering retirement now was also the case “a year ago after reaching the NBA Finals with the Cleveland Cavaliers.”

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Korver is fourth all-time in three-pointers made (per Basketball Reference) in NBA history, and has shot 42.9% from distance lifetime. He’s played 16 years in the Association, and the veteran’s contract is only guaranteed for $3.4 million of a potential total of $7.5 million for 2019-20, and it would become fully guaranteed on July 7 (h/t Spotrac).

Korver has also seemingly been a model teammate throughout his career, and reportedly helped Cedi Osman with his shooting stroke when the two were teammates, which clearly paid dividends this season for Osman, who improved considerably on the offensive end this year and shot a respectable 34.8% from three on 4.9 attempts per game (per NBA.com).

In addition, Korver wrote an essay recently that was published in the Players’ Tribune where he essentially detailed how it’s important for him (as he realistically didn’t prior) and other white athletes to not simply sit on the sidelines, and really support people of color in the NBA (and really other sports) and help them combat injustices and racism, as those players of color in the NBA have truly “made this league into what it is today.”

I love the way the NBA is today, and if you haven’t read that article from Korver, please do, as it truly is eye-opening.

Along with that, it was great to see Korver stick up for his Jazz teammate, Donovan Mitchell, who had a tough Game 3 against the Rockets recently, and missed an open shot that killed Utah’s hopes of a big win.

Korver had this to say to the media (per Jake Edmonds of KUTV2 News) about Mitchell after that tough game in which Utah would go 0-3, and to me, this was awesome to see from Korver, who is once again, maybe done with his NBA career.

Just like Cleveland Cavaliers’ beloved former teammate Channing Frye, who just retired, Korver was named as one of the 12 finalists for the Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year Award (h/t Aaron Falk of Utahjazz.com).

Those kind words about Mitchell are just of likely many reasons for that when it comes to that nomination for Korver.

I’d love to see Korver play one more season to have a chance at a ring, but regardless, 16 years in the NBA is a very long time, and he has nothing to prove. We wish the best of luck with his decision.