Cavaliers part ways with GM Griffin as deal time hits

WASHINGTON: Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert announced Monday that general manager David Griffin is out as general manager of the NBA club when his contract expires at the end of June.

The move came exactly one year after LeBron James led the Cavaliers to an NBA crown, the first by any major Cleveland sports team since 1964, and one week after the Cavaliers were dethroned by the Golden State Warriors in this year’s NBA Finals.

Gilbert said the decision for Griffin not to return was mutual.

“On behalf of the entire organization, I would like to thank Griff for his leadership and many contributions during his time here, including most recently, his role in the franchise’s first NBA championship,” Gilbert said in a statement.

“We have no announcement at this time related to new leadership of the Cavaliers basketball operations group, but we are confident our current front office will continue to aggressively explore and pursue opportunities to improve our team in the weeks ahead.”

Team executives will need to work hard as the NBA Draft is Thursday and a week from Saturday marks the start of free agency for next season.

Cleveland’s ouster in five games in the best-of-seven final showed just how far the Cavaliers must improve to match the Warriors, who added free agent star forward Kevin Durant after losing last year’s final. -