As the NBA offseason has quieted, the Cavaliers are the only team in the last two weeks to give a free agent more than a minimum salary.
First, they acquired Lauri Markkanen ($67 million) in a sign-and-trade.
Now, they’re signing Kevin Pangos.
Bobby Marks of ESPN:
Cleveland has agreed to a two-year $3.5M contract with point guard Kevin Pangos, agent Zach Kurtin of @PrioritySports tells ESPN. The first year salary of $1.67M is fully guaranteed.
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) September 8, 2021
Pangos’ minimum this season was $925,258. He’ll also apparently earn more than his minimum next season ($1,563,518), as a $1.83 million salary would bring him to $3.5 million total.
Since going undrafted out of Gonzaga in 2015, Pangos – a Canadian – has been playing overseas. The 28-year-old has become one of the better players in Europe/Russia. He’s a solid shooter and distributor.
Cleveland already has Darius Garland and Ricky Rubio at point guard. So, Pangos likely lands third on the depth chart.
Consider this the latest indicator the Cavs don’t plan to use Collin Sexton, who has become more of a shooting guard, at point guard… if they even keep him.