Cleveland Cavaliers rumors: Cavs added multi-millions to payroll

The Cleveland Cavaliers are adding a ton of money to the payroll, hoping those lottery balls will go the right way.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have added about $34 million in salary over the next two seasons as the team sought to acquire draft picks leading up to last week’s NBA trade deadline, according to Cleveland.com’s Terry Pluto.

1. Cavs’ owner Dan Gilbert has green-lit trades that have brought on eight total draft picks. Cleveland’s added two first rounders, including Houston protected first rounder, this year, as well as six second rounders to be used over the next four years.

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This means taking on bad veteran contracts as the Cavs did with the acquisition of former first-round pick Brandon Knight. He carries a $15.6 million salary this year and next.

You’ve got to give Gilbert credit for agreeing to pay all that money to tank, banking on the hope the Cavs get will get Zion Williamson or R.J. Barrett.

It’s truly the cost of doing business in the NBA when your located in Cleveland. The only big time free agent who signed here was LeBron James, and he was from here. Needless to say, the strategy moving forward can’t be leaning on once-in-a-generation talents from the area agreeing to play here.

2. Speaking of Knight, the former eighth overall pick made his Cavaliers debut during the Cavs’ loss to Pacers. He played just 12 minutes, but was 3-for-3 from 3-point range.

He’ll have no dearth of opportunities wearing a Wine and Gold uniform, so it will be interesting to see if the former Arizona Wildcat can resurrect his career. He’s 27 and just 2 1/2 seasons removed from averaging 19.6 points per game.

Knight’s played just 13 games since missing all of last season because of injury. Who knows what he has left in the tank. For a team giving an audition to any and everyone, this is a good spot to shake off the rust.

Can he become the player he once was?

"“Absolutely. If I don’t believe it, nobody else will,” he said to The Athletic."

3. Kevin Love played six minutes in his quest to return from injury.

It’s good news, but in a lost season such as this one, there just nothing to get excited about.

It wasn’t a surprise to see Love stayed a Cavalier a the treadle. Making it through the summer? That’s another story.

4. The NBA fought back against the initial report that the AAF had beaten basketball in primetime on Saturday night. The new football league made its debut on CBS, while round ball could be found on ABC.

Former ESPNer Darren Rovell, who now works for the Action Network, cited sources as saying the AAF did a 2.1 overnight rating, while James Harden vs. Russell Westbrook did a 2.0.

The NBA is scrambling, of course, getting this Tweet release out, claiming the two leagues tied.

STILL a huge victory for the upstart football league.

This is especially hard season for Cavs’ fans, and you can’t be blamed for not watching. No one should have to watch the Cavs give up 120 a night, which they did for quite a good stretch earlier in the year.

But say you’re a fan of the Memphis Grizzlies, Denver Nuggets or Charlotte Bobcats. Unless you are a diehard hoops junkie, you might have a hard time caring about The Association, especially for one night in what’s already been a looooong season.

Next. Losing Cavs find way to win at deadline. dark

The Golden State Warriors are going to win the championship and there’s a slight chance that the conference finals/NBA Finals will be entertaining.

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