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The Cleveland Cavaliers have reportedly had sign-and-trade negotiations with the Miami Heat for guard Max Strus.
Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reported the Heat, Cavs and a third undisclosed team have discussed deals ahead of the 6 p.m. ET start to free agency. Miami would receive “small assets” in return but not a player.
The Heat have also had discussions with guard Gabe Vincent about retaining the free-agent-to-be.
Strus is likely to command a salary starting at around the $12.4 million non-taxpayer midlevel exception. The 27-year-old averaged 11.5 points, 3.2 rebound and 2.1 assists last season while shooting 35.0 percent from three-point range.
While Miami could re-sign Strus using his Bird rights, the harsh financial realities of the new collective bargaining agreement will likely lead to his exit. If the Heat are able to agree to a sign-and-trade with another team, they could be able to land a traded player exception that could be used on a lower-salaried player to replace Strus.
Vincent will likely be cheaper than Strus on the open market, with Jackson noting the Heat do not have any plans of offering him a contract worth the midlevel. It’s unlikely any other team will break the bank for Vincent either given the depth of the point guard position around the NBA and his unspectacular counting stats (9.4 PPG, 2.5 APG, 2.1 RPG).
Still, Miami’s financial strings tightening is the latest piece of evidence that teams do not plan on dipping deep into the luxury tax under the new CBA. The Heat in particular seem to be willing to allow players like Strus and Vincent to walk in order to avoid the prohibitive second tax apron.
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