The Cleveland Cavaliers moved quickly to fill the void in their lineup after guard J.R. Smith had surgery on his thumb, as the defending champions acquired guard Kyle Korver from the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for forward Mike Dunleavy, guard Mo Williams, cash considerations, and a protected first round draft pick (first possible pick is Cleveland's 2019 first round pick).
Korver is one of the NBA's top outside shooters, and on paper at least, the move is an offensive upgrade at the two-guard position over Smith.
“We are extremely pleased to be able to add a player and person the caliber of Kyle Korver to our Cavs family,” said Cavs GM David Griffin. “Among the most prolific and dynamic three-point shooters in NBA history, a selfless, and team first competitor, Kyle brings all of the elements of Cavs DNA that we covet on and off the floor.”
The 6'7" Korver played in 32 games (21 starts) for Atlanta this season with averages of 9.5 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 27.9 minutes. He is also shooting .889 from the foul line and .409 from the three-point line, while scoring in double figures 16 times in 2016-17.
With the constant defensive attention given to Cleveland's LeBron James and Kyrie Irving, Korver should get his fair share of open looks with his new team.
Korver has spent the last four-plus seasons with the Hawks and currently ranks first on the team’s all-time free throw percentage list at .887 (329-371) and third on the club’s all-time three-point field goals made chart with 818 triples. Korver shot .452 (818-1,811) from the three-point line in his career with Atlanta and hit at least one triple in 311 of 332 games played with the team.
Playing in his 14th NBA season, Korver has appeared in 996 games (417 starts) with Philadelphia, Utah, Chicago and Atlanta, owning career averages of 10.0 points and 3.1 rebounds in 26.6 minutes per game. He was an NBA All-Star in 2015 and ranks eighth in NBA history with 1,952 career three-pointers (fifth among active players) and eighth all-time in three-point field goal percentage (.429). Korver has hit 100 threes or more 11 times in his career, including each of the last six seasons.
Dunleavy (6-9, 220), who was acquired in a trade with Chicago on July 7, 2016, played in 23 games (two starts) for the Cavaliers this season, averaging 4.6 points and 2.0 rebounds in 15.9 minutes.
Williams (6-1, 198) was part of the Cavaliers’ 2016 NBA championship team after signing as a free agent on July 10, 2015 and averaged 8.2 points and 2.4 assists in 18.2 minutes in 41 games (14 starts) last season.
In addition, the Cleveland Cavaliers acquired their own 2018 first round draft pick from the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for the Cavaliers’ 2017 first round draft pick (traded to Portland on February 18, 2016).
In other NBA news . . .
For the first time, the NBA will stream a regular-season game via Facebook Live.
On Sunday, Jan. 8, the NBA will stream the Sacramento Kings-Golden State Warriors matchup to fans in India across the Facebook Pages of the NBA, the Kings and the Warriors. This game marks the Kings’ fourth annual Bollywood Night, a celebration of traditional Indian culture, cinema and music.
The Facebook stream will feature the league’s newly released “NBA Mobile View” feed, delivering a closer shot of the action optimized for viewing on the smaller screens of tablets and phones.
“We are excited to once again take part in an innovative league initiative that will provide a unique experience for our fans in India,” said Warriors President & COO Rick Welts. “We are always looking for ways to utilize technology for opportunities to connect with our diverse group of fans throughout the world and are thrilled to engage with our followers in India tomorrow night.”
By Staff of TheDailySportsHerald.com and news services
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