Cleveland Cavaliers

The market for Cleveland Cavaliers center Andre Drummond is reportedly expanding if he gets bought out after the March 25 NBA trade deadline.

Per Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, the New York Knicks have joined the Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets as teams interested in the two-time All-Star.

Charania noted the Lakers and Nets are "believed" to be the top suitors for Drummond, but the Knicks could potentially entice him by offering him a multiyear deal, assuming he gets bought out by Cleveland.

Drummond hasn't appeared in a game for the Cavs since Feb. 12. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Brian Windhorst reported the team was holding him out as it worked with his representatives on a trade. 

Windhorst said on a March 9 episode of SportsCenter the Cavaliers would like to receive either a young player or a draft pick for Drummond. Cleveland previously acquired him from the Detroit Pistons in February 2020, and the 27-year-old is making $28.75 million in the final year of his contract.

The Knicks have emerged as a surprise playoff contender in the Eastern Conference at 20-19 (seventh) and could use a conventional big like Drummond. The Lakers, meanwhile, need more size on the inside with Anthony Davis expected to miss at least two more weeks with a strained calf. And the Nets are also looking for another big man to pair with DeAndre Jordan and provide interior defense.

Drummond was averaging 17.5 points on 47.4 percent shooting and 13.5 rebounds per game in 25 games this season.

The Cleveland Cavaliers announced veteran forward Kevin Love will play in Friday's game against the New Orleans Pelicans.

Love has only played two games this season, missing most of the first half of the year with a calf injury.

Cleveland returns from the All-Star break with a 14-22 record, currently third-worst in the Eastern Conference.

Love can provide a boost as a five-time All-Star and an experienced player on a mostly young roster.

The 32-year-old has dealt with several injuries in recent seasons but still averaged 17.6 points and 9.8 rebounds per game in 2019-20 while his .550 effective field-goal rate was the second-highest of his career.

After initially hurting his calf during the preseason, he had 15 points and nine rebounds in his first start of the year but lasted only nine minutes in his second game before missing the next two months of action. It created question marks about his future with the team, but he continued to work his way back to the court.

Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said Love returned to practice in February and was able to do "quite a bit of the live stuff."

It took a few more weeks, but the big man will now be available for games as the team looks to climb the standings.

The Cavaliers are holding out center Andre Drummond in the hope of trading him while giving more minutes to Jarrett Allen, but there is still clearly playing time available for Love going forward.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are reportedly adding point guard Quinn Cook on a 10-day contract as the second half of the season tips off, according to Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic. 

Cook played 16 games with the Los Angeles Lakers to begin the year before being released in late February. He averaged 2.1 points, 0.3 rebounds and 0.3 assists in 3.9 minutes per game but has proven more productive in the past. 

Still just 27 years old, the Cavs are set to find out just how much he can contribute for at least the next week or so. 

Here's how the Duke product fits in with Cleveland.

Cavaliers Depth Chart

PG: Darius Garland, Collin Sexton, Damyean Dotson, Quinn Cook, Matthew Dellavedova 

SG: Collin Sexton, Dylan Windler, Damyean Dotson, Quinn Cook, Isaac Okoro, Cedi Osman

SF: Isaac Okoro, Cedi Osman, Lamar Stevens, Dylan Windler, Taurean Prince

PF: Kevin Love, Larry Nance Jr., Dean Wade, Taurean Prince, Cedi Osman

C: Jarrett Allen, JaVale McGee, Larry Nance Jr.,  Kevin Love, Dean Wade

Active Roster Cap: $126.3 million

Cook will earn the league minimum when he arrives in Cleveland, which should pay him $98,000 as a player with four years of experience, according to HoopsRumors. 

The guard was able to average 9.5 points, 2.7 assists and 2.5 rebounds over 33 games with the Golden State Warriors in 2017-18. He won't be walking into a situation that even remotely resembles that locker room in Cleveland. 

The Cavs are rebuilding and have placed an emphasis on developing their younger players. Cook will be successful if he's able to provide solid minutes off the bench, assist in making sure players like Sexton and Garland have support on the floor and can provide energy in all other areas. 

Cook won't just have to grind to earn his minutes in Cleveland but to potentially get his contract extended. 

It's certainly an uphill battle—just as it is for everyone who signs a 10-day contract—but it's not impossible. It's up to Cook to make it happen. 

Report contract details via Spotrac.com 

Quinn Cook is headed to Cleveland.

The Cavaliers agreed to a 10-day contract with the point guard on Wednesday, according to Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic. The Los Angeles Lakers initially waived the 27-year-old in November and re-signed him one month later, but they waived him again on February 24.

In his second season with the Lakers, Cook appeared in 16 games and scored an average of 2.1 points per game in 3.9 minutes per outing.

The Duke product was more of a factor during the Lakers' run to the NBA title last season, when he appeared in 44 games for an average of 11.5 minutes and 5.1 points per game.

He'll now join a Cavs team entering the second half of the season 14-22 and four games out of last place in the Eastern Conference. Cook can provide some depth in the backcourt with Matthew Dellavedova still unable to return to the court and Darius Garland considered day-to-day (groin).  

Cook previously played for the Golden State Warriors for two seasons, after beginning his NBA career with the Dallas Mavericks and New Orleans Pelicans. 

Longtime Cleveland sports broadcaster Joe Tait died Wednesday at the age of 83, per Tom Withers of the Associated Press.

Tait called Cavs games as the radio play-by-play commentator in five different decades, starting in 1970 when the team began NBA play. His retirement in 2011 capped his broadcasting career.

The Cavs released a statement on his death. It read in part:

"A dedicated husband and father—generous with his talent and spirit—Joe received every major sports broadcasting award there is over the course of his career in Northeast Ohio. And like some of the most legendary Cavaliers he chronicled, Joe joined them with his own banner hanging in the rafters of Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse."

He also called games for the Cleveland MLB team from 1973 to 1987, starting on radio before moving to television in 1980. He called a pair of no-hitters as well as Len Barker's perfect game in 1981 against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Tyler Carey of WKYC compiled some of Tait's best baseball and basketball calls, and you can find them here.

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, who played for the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2003 to 2010 and again from 2014 to 2018, offered his condolences after hearing the news:

Per Withers, Tait was inducted into the media wing of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010. He also served three years in the United States Army and called games for the WNBA's Cleveland Rockers, the WHA's Cleveland Crusaders and University of Mount Union football.

Cleveland Cavaliers governor Dan Gilbert's bitterness about LeBron James leaving the team in 2010 apparently extended well beyond his "Comic Sans" letter.

Baron Davis, who played for Cleveland in 2011, revealed that Gilbert would not allow him out of his contract that offseason because he didn't want Davis helping James win a championship.

The Miami Heat were coming off their embarrassing loss to the Dallas Mavericks in the 2011 Finals, and Gilbert was likely basking in the glow of schadenfreude following LeBron's failure.

Davis, at that point, was seen as a potentially solid role player despite knee injuries sapping him of his effectiveness. He wound up signing with the New York Knicks after receiving the amnesty clause from Gilbert, lasting 29 games before suffering a career-ending knee injury.

LeBron, of course, wound up reconciling with Gilbert enough to return to Cleveland in 2014 and brought home the 2016 NBA championship.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are reportedly intent on maximizing value for center Andre Drummond before parting ways with him ahead of the March 25 NBA trade deadline. 

During an appearance on SportsCenter (beginning at the 3:54 mark), ESPN NBA insider Brian Windhorst said the Cavs have told interested teams that they are not "giving [Drummond] away" for nothing:

Windhorst added that the Cavaliers have said they have legitimate offers for Drummond and are holding out for either a young player or a draft pick—likely a second-rounder.

The Cavs have been sitting Drummond for nearly a month in anticipation of a trade and he hasn't dressed for the team's past nine games.

Given that the Cavaliers have already come this far, it's no surprise Windhorst noted that they are willing to take it all the way down to the March 25 deadline before trading him in order to get the most they can out of him.

Before Cleveland decided to sit Drummond, the two-time All-Star was enjoying another strong season. In 25 games, he was averaging 17.5 points, 13.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.2 blocks, while shooting 47.4 percent from the field.

Drummond entered the season having won the rebounding title in three consecutive seasons and four of the previous five seasons, meaning any team with a need in the frontcourt could benefit from his arrival.

The 27-year-old veteran is in the final year of his contract, so he could be a rental to the team that acquires him. That is perhaps part of the reason why his value isn't particularly high on the trade market.

Last season, the Cavs essentially got Drummond for pennies on the dollar, as they sent a 2023 second-round pick and spare parts John Henson and Brandon Knight to the Detroit Pistons for him.

The Cavs no longer have a clear need for Drummond, as they acquired center Jarrett Allen from the Brooklyn Nets as part of the four-team deal that sent James Harden from the Houston Rockets to Brooklyn.

Allen is younger than Drummond at 22, and he has played well since arriving in Cleveland with averages of 14.7 points, 9.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.7 blocks per game.

Also, the Cavs have tumbled to 13th in the Eastern Conference at 14-22 since a surprisingly strong start, meaning the playoffs may no longer be a priority this season.

The Cavaliers established last month that they were moving on from Drummond, but even though every other NBA team knows they are parting ways with him, the Cavs are clearly intent on milking Drummond for all he is worth on the trade market.

Larry Nance Jr. provided his former teammate Channing Frye with a necessary history lesson Saturday while completely roasting him in the process.

As the March 25 trade deadline nears, Nance tweeted out his displeasure with being included in mock deals only for Frye to respond that he wouldn't trade Nance for "two broken shoelaces and a booger." That ended up being a brutal self-burn on Frye as Nance reminded the former forward that Frye was once traded to the Los Angeles Lakers along with a first-round pick so the Cleveland Cavaliers could acquire Nance.

The official deal sent Nance and Jordan Clarkson to the Cavaliers for Frye, Isaiah Thomas and a 2018 first-round pick that eventually became Moritz Wagner.

It's likely Frye won't forget that again, though it makes sense the trade slipped his mind. He was only in Los Angeles for nine games before re-signing in Cleveland as a free agent the following offseason.

Multiple teams have reportedly shown interest in Cleveland Cavaliers forward Larry Nance Jr. ahead of the March 25 trade deadline.

According to Cleveland.com's Chris Fedor on Saturday, the Minnesota Timberwolves have "aggressively" pursued Nance since the offseason. The Philadelphia 76ers, Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, Dallas Mavericks and New Orleans Pelicans are also reportedly interested.

Fedor noted that while Nance isn't expected to be traded before the deadline unless the Cavs get "completely blown away" by an offer, teams have expressed more interest in him than any of their other players who are believed to be available.

Among the offers the Cavaliers reportedly received was a package including "multiple late-first-round picks."

The 28-year-old Nance is currently on the shelf with a finger injury that has caused him to miss Cleveland's past 12 games, but Fedor has reported he is expected to be ready to return for the Cavs' first game of the second half of the season on March 12 (h/t CBS Sports).

Nance has appeared in 19 games, including 18 starts, in this his fourth season as a member of the Cavs. He is averaging 9.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.9 steals in a career-high 33.4 minutes per contest, while shooting 48.3 percent from the field and a career-best 38.1 percent from beyond the arc.

Since showing flashes during his first three NBA seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, Nance has blossomed into a valuable and versatile player in Cleveland. He averaged a career-high 10.1 points per game last season and a career-high 8.2 rebounds per game the previous campaign.

Although Nance has been limited this season by injury, he has made a career-high 1.3 three-pointers per game. In his first four NBA seasons, Nance made just 0.2 trifectas per contest.

Nance is signed through the 2022-23 season at a reasonable rate after agreeing to a four-year, $44.8 million extension with the Cavs in 2018, per Spotrac.

Since he wouldn't be a rental, Nance could be a target for any team regardless of whether they are likely to make the playoffs this season or not.

Minnesota is the worst team in the NBA this season at 7-29, but Nance could be a fit alongside Karl-Anthony Towns in the frontcourt moving forward. Also, Fedor reported that Nance is close friends with T-Wolves guard D'Angelo Russell, who has advocated for him.

In terms of possible contenders, the Sixers, Celtics, Heat and Mavs all make sense as potential landing spots and would benefit from Nance's presence.

Philly is the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, while the other three teams currently hold playoff spots as well.

The Celtics would perhaps benefit most from Nance because of their lack of high-impact players up front, but they may have to wait until the offseason to get their hands on him, based on Fedor's report.

The Cleveland Cavaliers could be busy trading away players ahead of the NBA's March 25 deadline.  

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the team is "open to discussing" trades for forwards Cedi Osman and Taurean Prince and center JaVale McGee and "several teams" have called about the wing players.

Cleveland is also hoping to trade center Andre Drummond, but there is reportedly "skepticism" about finding a deal.

The only untouchable players are likely Collin Sexton, Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen and Isaac Okoro, who have become "centerpieces of the long-term core," per Charania.

Those players have been bright spots during what has been an up-and-down season for the Cavaliers. A playoff spot could be within reach, but a 10-game losing streak in February likely hurt their chances to contend this season.

Selling off pieces would help speed up the rebuild as the squad tries to return to contention in future years.

Osman is under contract through 2023-24 but could be moved after seeing a reduced role this season. He is averaging 10.9 points and 3.7 rebounds and has proved in the past he can be a plus shooter, hitting 38.3 percent of his three-point attempts last season.

Prince is averaging just 8.5 points but could be a classic three-and-D forward for a contender with a 40.6 three-point percentage in 17 appearances with Cleveland this year. 

McGee has made a minimal impact with the Cavaliers but has won three NBA titles in the last four years with the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors. He could provide valuable depth in the post before hitting free agency in the offseason.

Clearing these players off the roster would also allow Cleveland to fully immerse itself in a youth movement and prepare for the future.