Cavs prepare the way for James
CLEVELAND — The Cavaliers have cleared a path for LeBron James to return to Cleveland.
They’ve made their moves. They’re just waiting for him to make his.
The Cavs created enough salarycap space to offer the superstar free agent a maximum contract on Wednesday agreeing to trade guard Jarrett Jack, swingman Sergey Karasev and centre Tyler Zeller in a three-team deal with Brooklyn and Boston, a person familiar with the deals told The Associated Press.
The manoeuvring is designed to open room under the salary cap so they can re-sign the Akron-born James, the four-time league MVP and most sought after player on the market.
With open roster spots, Cleveland isn’t done.
Not long after making the trade with the Celtics and Nets, the Cavs had exploratory discussions with the Minnesota Timberwolves about a possible trade for three-time AllStar Kevin Love — if James does return to Cleveland, said a person with knowledge of the inquiry.
The Timberwolves would be looking for No. 1 overall draft pick Andrew Wiggins to be part of any potential package from Cleveland in order to consider parting with Love if the talks were to become more serious, the person said.
Whatever the Cavs’ next move is — with or without James — they could package together their other assets, including future first-round picks, to make a run at other AllStar players.