Cavs in talks to trade Shumpert

Trying to dump salary and bolster their assets for free agency maneuvers, the Cavaliers were in serious talks Saturday to trade Iman Shumpert to the Houston Rockets, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported.

According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, the Cavs are seeking a draft pick and a trade exception for Shumpert, which would free up salary cap space to re-sign Kyle Korver and help them in future deals.

According to Wojnarowski’s story on ESPN.com, trading Shumpert would drop the Cavs’ committed salaries for 2017-18 from $125 million to $115 million guaranteed, $4 million below the luxury tax, and save the team $17.1 million in taxes.

Shumpert carries a $10.3 million salary for 2017-18 and $11 million in his player option year in 2018-19, according to spotrac. com.

Shams Charania of The Vertical reported that teams interested in Shumpert have discussed altering the player option, but that caveat is not in play in the talks with the Rockets.

Shooting guard Korver received a contract offer from the Cavs on the opening day of free agency Saturday, a source familiar with the decision confirmed to the Beacon Journal.

Acquired in a three-team trade in January, 2015 that also brought J.R. Smith from the New York Knicks, 6-foot-5 guard Shumpert averaged 7.5 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 25.5 minutes for the Cavs last season. In the playoffs, Shumpert posted averages of 6.2 points, 3.7 rebounds and one assist in 16.2 minutes.

Shumpert fell out of Cavs coach Tyronn Lue’s rotations as he struggled down the stretch, getting in for only six minutes in a home loss to Atlanta on April 7.

Lue chose Richard Jefferson, then 36, over Shumpert, 27, to play with the second unit in the Cavs’ postseason opener against the Indiana Pacers.

Shumpert redeemed himself with his defense on Pacers star Paul George in Game 2 after Smith injured his left hamstring just before halftime.