A salary-dumping deal Tuesday by the Cleveland Cavaliers could help the new NBA team of superstar LeBron James swing a deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves for star center Kevin Love.
The Cavaliers obtained guard John Lucas III and forwards Malcolm Thomas and Erik Murphy from Utah for second-year guard Carrick Felix, a second-round pick in next year’s NBA Draft and $1mn.
All three players who went to Cleveland have contracts that are not guaranteed for next season, meaning the Cavaliers would have about $3.3mn toward Love’s $15.7mn salary should they swing a deal for him with Minnesota.
The Timberwolves are looking at a deal involving other players that could force the Cavaliers to seek the aid of a third club in order to make the trade work.
Andrew Wiggins, the top pick in last month’s NBA Draft by Cleveland, could be on the trade block once he signs with the Cavaliers, a move that could come this week. After that, he could not be traded for 30 days but then could be part of a move for Love.
Landing Love together with 2012 Olympic gold medal teammate James and guard Kyrie Irving would give the Cavaliers a “Big Three” to rival what James enjoyed with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami, where he led the Heat to two titles and four NBA finals before announcing earlier this month he was leaving to return to the Cavaliers, which he spurned in 2010 to join Miami.
Sterling files new suit amid Clipper collapse fear
Embattled Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling filed a new lawsuit Tuesday as testimony continued in a probate trial on the validity of a $2bn deal to sell the NBA team.
A mess that began in April when recordings of Sterling making racist comments to his would-be girlfriend led to his being banned from the NBA for life by league commissioner Adam Silver, lingers on - even as an August 15 deadline approaches to complete the deal, or risk having the offer withdrawn.
The league began proceedings to strip ownership from Sterling before he gave wife Shelly the power to make a sales deal. She struck a $2bn pact with former Microsoft chief Steve Ballmer, only to have Sterling file a lawsuit challenging the validity of the forced sale.
The new lawsuit by Sterling claims Shelly Sterling, the NBA and Silver defrauded him when they moved to sell the Clippers to Ballmer and he seeks an injunction to halt the sale as well as unspecified damages.
Donald Sterling claims his decision last month to take apart the family trust kept his wife from making any move to sell the Clippers and that his wife’s moves to have him declared mentally incompetent relied on fraud and breach of contract and inflicted emotional distress upon Sterling, already reviled by many Clippers fans, sponsors and employees for his remarks.
Sterling also has a pending federal antitrust lawsuit claiming the NBA treated sterling differently than other owners, with Sterling having said he thinks he can win as much as $9bn in damages in federal court.
