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Free Agency: Matthew Dellavedova could leave Cleveland Cavaliers

By David MacKay

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The Portland Trail Blazers struggled to get real defensive value from their point guards last season. Damian Lillard is dedicated to improvement, but will take some time; Steve Blake gives it his all, but is 35 years-old; Tim Frazier is quick, but too small. There is just not a lot of room for in-house development. The team’s best bets to add a strong backcourt defender are the upcoming NBA Draft and free agency. If the Trail Blazers go the latter route, they may find a rather available Matthew Dellavedova along the way.

Dellavedova, a restricted free agent with the Cleveland Cavaliers, is coming off of a fantastic NBA Finals performance. The 6’4” backup point guard took over the starting role in place of the injured Kyrie Irving, and was instrumental in keeping the series competitive. His defense on regular season MVP Stephen Curry was the only non-LeBron James bright spot for an otherwise outmatched Cavaliers squad.

Despite all this, the Cavaliers’ free agency situation could make Dellavedova an easy target for teams trying to pull him away from Cleveland. The team is anticipated to keep James (player option), Kevin Love (player option), and Tristan Thompson (unrestricted) at all cost. Since they have already agreed to pay all-star point guard Kyrie Irving $90M over the next five seasons, they will have very little wiggle room to retain their secondary assets. According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, Dellavedova falls among them.

"The other guys are going to have to make some tough calls, including Matthew Dellavedova. If there’s a team out there that’s wanting to come in and give Delly $4M-$5M a year, with the other commitments that the Cavs have, I’m not so sure they can [re-sign him]. We’ll see if Delly’s back next season."

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If those projections are close to correct, the Trail Blazers could force the Cavs’ hand, without tipping their own, and attempt to sign Dellavedova using their mid-level exception of up to $5.5M in 2015-16. This would allow them to sign Dellavedova regardless of cap space, as long as their total salary is above the cap and below the tax curtain. Supposing that the Trail Blazers are able to re-sign their own free agents first, Dellavedova is worth a look.

There will likely be several teams in the running to sign Dellavedova though. His stock is higher than ever. A hard-nosed defender at 24 years-old will usually be in high demand for those that have the room to take him on. The Trail Blazers would have to be committed, tempting, and lucky to have a shot at signing him when all it takes is one team to woo him with overpayment (a strong possibility pre-2016 salary spike). Still, Dellavedova would suit Portland’s needs nicely. If the Trail Blazers decide to pursue and make him see that, they stand a reasonable chance of gaining his attention.

The direction the Trail Blazers decide to go in free agency is heavily tied to their own free agents. It is difficult to predict all of their team needs when not all of the pieces can be accounted for. If LaMarcus Aldridge or Robin Lopez leave, there will be a definite focus on the frontcourt. If Wesley Matthews or Arron Afflalo leave, there will be a definite focus on the wings. As long as these could-be holes can be plugged, one way or another, there should be resources left over for a backup point guard. Dellavedova is a solid option.

Matthew Dellavedova highlights via GD’s Final Highlights

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