Report: Cavaliers signing Jordan Bell

Two years ago, Jordan Bell was drunkenly celebrating the Warriors’ NBA Finals victory over the Cavaliers.

It has been a tough decline for both Bell and Cleveland.

Now, they’re linking up.

Shams Charania of The Athletic:

Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com:

League sources tell cleveland.com the Cavaliers agreed to a two-year contract with free agent forward Jordan Bell and converted the Two-Way pact of forward Dean Wade into a multi-year deal.

Sources say Wade, who was garnering interest from the Washington Wizards over the last few weeks, will receive a team-friendly four-year contract that pays him $375,000 for the rest of the 2019-20 season. The final three years, starting in 2020-21, are non-guaranteed. According to sources, Bell will get $250,000 for the rest of 2019-20. His second year is non-guaranteed.

This is a head start on next season for the Cavaliers, who didn’t qualify to continue this season at Disney World

Bell signed with the Timberwolves last summer. Just before the trade deadline, he got traded to the Grizzlies (via the Rockets). He got waived by Memphis after just two games, but too late for him to be playoff-eligible elsewhere.

Though Bell is just 25, players like him – mobile centers who play versatile defense and finish well above the rim – can peak early. Bell must retain his athleticism to contribute.

Cleveland already has a few expensive bigs: Andre Drummond (who’s staying), Kevin Love and Larry Nance Jr. But Bell is a reasonable option – especially at this price.

Adding Bell effectively costs only his real-dollar salary for this season, and Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert has shown a willingness to spend. If Bell looks promising, the Cavs will keep him cheap next season. If not, they can clear his roster spot with no future cap consequences.