Cleveland Cavaliers

Veteran forward Kevin Love reportedly apologized to his Cleveland Cavaliers teammates and coaches for his actions during Monday's 112-96 loss to the Toronto Raptors. 

Late in the third quarter of Monday's game, Love was supposed to inbound the ball, but he instead slapped it into play after the referee threw it to him, allowing the Raptors to gain possession and make a three-pointer:

That increased the Raptors lead from six to nine in what had been a tightly contested game.

According to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, Love apologized Monday night, and the Cavs plan to handle the matter internally.

Hayes added that Love didn't mean to inbound the ball to the Raptors, and noted the veteran big man slapped at the ball out of frustration with the officiating.

The 2020-21 season has been a frustrating one for Love and the Cavs as a whole with Cleveland sitting in 13th place in the Eastern Conference at 21-40.

Love has missed a significant amount time this season with a calf injury, but he returned to action at the start of April and has played in 14 consecutive games since then.

In 18 games this season, including 18 starts, the 32-year-old veteran is averaging 11.7 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.0 three-pointers made.

Aside from reserve guard Matthew Dellavedova, Love is the last remnant from Cleveland's championship team in 2016, and the belief was that by keeping him around, he would be able to set a positive example for the younger players.

Plays like the one Love made Monday fly in the face of that notion, and it undoubtedly isn't something head coach J.B. Bickerstaff wants younger players like Collin Sexton, Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen and Isaac Okoro to emulate.

Love is signed through the 2022-23 season, but one has to wonder whether the Cavs will make a concerted effort to find a taker for him on the trade market during the offseason.

When Love is playing well and being a leader, he remains the ideal type of veteran to keep around as a role player on a maturing team, however, his actions Monday didn't reflect that part of him.

In addition to being a one-time NBA champion, Love is a five-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA selection who owns career averages of 18.1 points, 11.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.7 trifectas made per contest.

Love could still be a valuable piece for any number of NBA teams, assuming what occurred Monday was merely an isolated incident.

Cleveland Cavaliers forward Larry Nance Jr. had an undetermined illness that caused him to lose almost 20 pounds, according to Cleveland.com's Chris Fedor.

"Thursday will be Nance's fifth straight absence and despite finally turning the corner on Wednesday and being 'on the mend,' as one source said, Nance probably won't play in the weekend back-to-back at home, with the training staff wanting him to regain some of the lost weight and stamina first," Fedor wrote. "He is eager to return."

Fedor reported the ailment in question isn't COVID-19 but that "every test he received in hopes of labeling the illness came back negative."

Nance has been limited to 29 appearances this season, with a fractured finger leaving him out for 12 straight games across February and early March.

The 28-year-old has been a tone-setter on a young team that's still working through the issues that inevitably arise when a franchise is building for the future. He's averaging 10.1 points, 7.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.8 steals.

Nance's work at the 4 also helped fill the void left by Kevin Love, who's averaging 18.3 minutes per game in just seven appearances.

The Cavs are 18-32 and could conceivably close the 3.5-gap on the 10th-place Chicago Bulls to qualify for the play-in tournament. Getting a healthy Nance back would obviously help improve those odds.

Cleveland Cavaliers forward Larry Nance Jr. will miss Monday's game against the Utah Jazz due to a non-COVID-19 illness, according to Eric Walden of the Salt Lake Tribune. 

When Nance has been on the floor, this has been the strongest season of his NBA career. He entered Sunday averaging 10.1 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists while also ranking among the NBA's leaders in steals per game (1.8). 

Staying on the floor has been Nance's biggest issue. He missed time earlier this season with a wrist injury and then subsequently sat out more than a month after fracturing his finger in February. 

Including Monday night's contest, he has missed 18 of the Cavaliers' 47 games to date.

Kevin Love would typically receive more minutes with Nance out of the lineup, but Love is out with a calf injury, so look for Dean Wade to see more time. 

The Cleveland Cavaliers kept Larry Nance Jr. despite significant interest from playoff contenders ahead of last Thursday's trade deadline.

According to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, the Philadelphia 76ers, Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, Dallas Mavericks and New Orleans Pelicans were all "desperately trying to pry him away."

The Cavaliers traded away veteran JaVale McGee and agreed to a buyout with Andre Drummond, but they kept Nance because the organization "considers him a core piece," per Fedor.

Nance was limited by a hand injury for part of the season but is averaging 10.1 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game while his 37.9 three-point percentage would be the best of his career.

In his past three games, the forward is averaging 16 points, 11 rebounds and five assists while shooting 5-of-10 from beyond the arc.

The 28-year-old has been a valuable defender and athletic presence in the post, yet his offensive game continues to improve in his sixth year in the NBA.

Even with Cleveland looking to rebuild around its younger players, Nance provides value on the court and is on a reasonable contract for his production. He is owed about $20.4 million over the next two years combined.

Nance is also a fan favorite and has a father who spent seven seasons with the Cavs and earned two All-Star selections for the franchise. It's easy to see why a contender would have wanted the forward, but Cleveland saw his value beyond whatever assets could have been brought back in a trade.

While it was always seemingly a foregone conclusion that Andre Drummond would reach the buyout market, the Cleveland Cavaliers reportedly talked with the Toronto Raptors and Dallas Mavericks about using his contract as a trade facilitator.

Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com reported Saturday the Cavs floated using Drummond's salary to help a team land Kyle Lowry before Thursday's deadline. Cleveland was similarly a facilitator in the Brooklyn Nets' trade for James Harden, as the Cavs landed Jarrett Allen and expedited Drummond's departure.

The Raptors did not trade Lowry, and Drummond stayed put until he and the Cavaliers reached a buyout agreement.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowskireported Drummond met with the Boston Celtics on Friday. Boston traded Daniel Theis at the deadline, which could open up a role for Drummond in the starting lineup—albeit at the expense of Robert Williams III, who has emerged in recent weeks as a defensive force.

The Nets and Los Angeles Lakers, both in need of help in the middle, have long been viewed as the favorites for Drummond. Drummond would also likely get an extended starring role with the Lakers with LeBron James and Anthony Davis out for weeks with injuries.

Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times reported Saturday the New York Knicks are also contenders.

The decision will come down to what Drummond wants. Brooklyn and the Lakers offer the best chances to win a championship, The Knicks would provide perhaps the most consistent role, and Boston extends a blend of contender status and a solid starting job.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have reached agreement on a contract buyout with Andre Drummond.

The center, who hasn't played since Feb. 12 as the Cavs sought trade partners for him before the trade deadline, was bought out of his contract on Friday, per Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium.

Cleveland wasn't as active as expected at the deadline, sending JaVale McGee to the Denver Nuggets in exchange for Isaiah Hartenstein and a pair of future second-round picks. But it was unable to find a trade partner for Drummond.

The 27-year-old averaged 17.5 points and 12.9 rebounds through 33 games over a season-plus in Cleveland.

It wasn't necessarily his on-court performance that had teams shying away at the deadline; rather it was his major contract. He was due $28.75 million this season, the final year before he hits free agency.

As for the Cavaliers, they're left with Jarrett Allen at center, who will be a restricted free agent after this season.

The 22-year-old's presence was part of what motivated the team to bench Drummond, as the Cavaliers viewed him as "the franchise's long-term starting center," according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Brian Windhorst. 

Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report reported at the trade deadline that the Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks were the leaders for Drummond. Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports noted the Los Angeles Clippers, Boston Celtics, and Charlotte Hornets were in the mix as well, while Windhorst reported the Miami Heat would also be a factor. 

Andre Drummond's time with the Cleveland Cavaliers has come to an end.

Cleveland will work out a buyout with the big man after the team failed to trade him before Thursday's deadline, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.

The Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks are the leaders for potential suitors, per Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report.

The Cavaliers acquired Drummond via a trade from the Detroit Pistons last season, but he was set for unrestricted free agency following the 2020-21 campaign. He likely wasn't staying with the team long-term, so this move allows the Cavs to get out ahead of his departure.

Cleveland also had slightly more team control when it comes to fellow big man Jarrett Allen, who is a restricted free agent after this season. He is also 22 years old compared to the 27-year-old Drummond, so it may be in the Cavaliers' best interest to keep the younger player as they attempt to build a long-term contender in the Eastern Conference.

Along those lines, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Brian Windhorst reported in February that the Cavaliers planned on sitting Drummond until they could work out a trade, in part because they saw Allen as the center of the future.

While Drummond played just eight games for Cleveland in 2019-20, he established himself as an automatic double-double this season. He averaged 17.5 points, 13.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.2 blocks and 1.6 steals per game in 25 appearances.

Despite the impressive numbers, there are valid concerns about his game in today's era. The UConn product is a poor free-throw shooter and is not much of a factor in pick-and-pops because of an inability to hit from three-point range. Opponents who play smaller and quicker lineups against him can also exploit matchup problems.

Still, Drummond can control the boards like few players in the NBA while scoring on the blocks and protecting the rim.

The two-time All-Star and four-time rebounding champion averaged 14.4 points, 13.9 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game during his seven-plus seasons with the Pistons and has averaged a double-double every season of his career outside of his rookie campaign in 2012-13.

Drummond is a traditional big playing in an era when the league has largely moved away from his style of play, but he can stuff the stat sheet and impact the game in a number of ways for whichever team signs him down the stretch.

Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Collin Sexton will miss Wednesday's game against the Chicago Bulls with a sore hamstring.

Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com reported the news, noting the injury is considered "minor" and "nothing of concern." A source told Fedor that Sexton's absence is "absolutely not" related to Thursday's trade deadline.

Sexton, who hadn't missed a regular-season game since he was drafted with the No. 8 pick out of Alabama in 2018, sat out the team's first three preseason games after he twisted his ankle. 

The 22-year-old entered his third NBA season off of a sophomore campaign that saw him start all 65 games, with 20.8 points on 47.2 percent shooting from the field while adding 3.1 rebounds and 3.0 assists. 

He picked up right where he left off to start the 2020-21 season, averaging 24.0 points with 4.3 assists and 2.8 rebounds through 38 games for Cleveland. He missed five games with a sprained ankle back in January.

At the start of the preseason, head coach J.B. Bickerstaff praised Sexton's growth during his second year in the league. 

"I thought he took huge steps, as a teammate, and as a basketball player overall," Bickerstaff said, per Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. "He was making guys better around him and still able to be effective as a scorer." 

Darius Garland, Quinn Cook and Dylan Windler will likely see more playing time until Sexton is ready to return.

There is reportedly a "strong sense" Cleveland Cavaliers center JaVale McGee will be traded before Thursday's deadline, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Charania noted that "several contending teams" are in the mix for the veteran.

McGee is averaging 8.0 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in just 15.2 minutes per game mostly off the bench this season. The 33-year-old is coming off his best performance of the year Monday with 18 points, nine rebounds and two blocks in a loss to the Sacramento Kings.

The Cavaliers have been pushing a younger lineup to help prepare for the future. Jarrett Allen has become the starting center with veteran Andre Drummond getting zero minutes in the hopes of setting up a trade.

With a 16-27 record entering Wednesday, Cleveland can deal its pending free agents for future assets as part of the rebuild, including McGee.

Despite his limited action in 2020-21, McGee has proved he can be a valuable part of rotations for elite teams.

The 7'0" rim-protector has won three NBA titles over the past four years, including last year with the Los Angeles Lakers. He won two in a row with the Golden State Warriors in 2017 and 2018, appearing in 29 playoff games during this stretch (10 starts).

He also showed he can be productive with increased playing time, averaging 12.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game in 2018-19 with the Lakers.

McGee's skill set and experience could be perfect for a contending team looking to bolster its frontcourt depth heading into the playoffs. 

Two teams in the state of Texas are reportedly interested in Cleveland Cavaliers big man Andre Drummond. 

According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, the Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets have "expressed exploratory interest in Drummond." Despite that interest, Scotto explained the expectation is still that Cleveland will buy out the UConn product's contract before he joins the Los Angeles Lakers or Brooklyn Nets.

It seems like just a matter of time before Drummond is no longer on Cleveland's roster.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Brian Windhorst reported in February that the Cavaliers would no longer play the 27-year-old in an effort to work out a trade while focusing on the future with more minutes for Jarrett Allen.

Drummond has not played since Cleveland's loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Feb. 12.

There are legitimate concerns about his game in today's era of space-and-pace basketball. He is a 46.7 percent free-throw shooter in his career, cannot extend his game beyond the arc as a nonfactor in pick-and-pops and is vulnerable to matchup problems when going against smaller lineups.

However, he is also a two-time All-Star and four-time rebounding champion who can control the glass like few others in the league. 

He averaged 17.5 points, 13.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.2 blocks this season before Cleveland's decision to no longer play him in games.

That Dallas is interested in Drummond is particularly notable because he can largely protect the rim and control the glass for extended stretches while Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis carry the offense in crunch time.