The Cavaliers need a new backup point guard after letting Matthew Dellavedova leave for the Bucks.
They’ll try to find a suitable replacement between old (Mo Williams) and young (Kay Felder).
Williams opted in, and now Felder – the No. 54 pick in this year’s draft – is under contract.
Cavaliers release:Felder, according to Tony Paul of The Detroit News:
has signed a three-year contract with the Cavaliers that guarantees him at least $1 million.
The deal is worth a maximum of $2.49 million.
Felder’s minimum the next three years is $2,498,982, so it sounds like he got that. But he still took advantage of favorable conditions for second-round picks. Only two players picked in the 50s under the current Collective Bargaining Agreement received such a large guarantee the offseason they were drafted: Tornike Shengelia (No. 54 pick in 2012 from Nets) and Kris Joseph (No. 51 pick in 2012 from Celtics). Both got two fully guaranteed seasons.
The Cavaliers are facing the luxury tax again, so they were probably reluctant to raise Felder’s salary. But they’ve shown their faith in him by paying the Hawks $2.4 million for the No. 54 pick and now by guaranteeing $1 million of his salary.
I rated Felder a late first-round pick due to his smooth passing and scoring. But his 5-foot-9 frame will create challenges.
It’d be ideal for Cleveland if Felder won the primary backup job, but at least Williams provides a higher floor for the role.