After David Griffin abandoned his post as Cavaliers general manager in late June, Cleveland may have found its new guy, and it’s a name you’ve heard before.
Cavaliers offered Chauncey Billups a 5-year deal to run the front office
Billups has no front office experience, but is a former champion, Finals MVP, and has solid relationships with players.
Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Cavs owner Dan Gilbert has offered Chauncey Billups a five-year deal to run the franchise’s front office as president of basketball operations, according to The Athletic’s Jason Lloyd.
Billups spent two days in a row with Gilbert discussing the opportunity of taking the reins of a franchise that’s been to three straight NBA Finals. On Wednesday, he met several of the executives who’d work under him should he take the job, according to Lloyd.
Billups has no front office experience but was a five-time All-Star and one-time NBA champion, who won Finals MVP with the Detroit Pistons in 2004. He is believed to have good relationships with both Tyronn Lue and LeBron James, and has played alongside both Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony — two of James’ closest friends. Most recently, Billups served as ESPN’s studio analyst for NBA games.
If the former Pistons point guard accepts the job, he would be in charge of hiring Griffin’s replacement. Griffin announced his decision to step down as Cavs GM in a text to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, where he said “the fit is not right for us to continue with one another.”
The Cavaliers are in an icky situation. They need to get better, fast, to compete with the stacked Warriors for another championship, but they lack the cap space to do so in free agency. Now, after Billups said the Cavaliers should trade Kevin Love for Carmelo Anthony on national television, he could be in position to do so this summer.
See More:
