The Cleveland Cavaliers did not make a single trade before the NBA trade deadline but are still looking to sign former No. 1 overall pick and free agent center Greg Oden to a two-year deal with a team option for a third year. Oden isn't expected to play until next season, but Cleveland hopes to entice him to sign a deal by next week.
Cavaliers trying to sign Greg Oden to 2-year deal, according to report
The Cleveland Cavaliers didn’t make any trades before the deadline passed but may look to improve the team by signing former No. 1 pick Greg Oden to a two-year deal.
Jonathan Daniel
The Cavaliers are expected to soon offer Oden a two-year deal with a team option for a third year in an effort to convince Oden to sign on now rather than test free agency during the summer, according to Jason Lloyd of Ohio.com. General manager Chris Grant confirmed the team’s general interest in acquiring Oden:
“Obviously we’ve spoken to Greg, we’ve had him in, we’ve done a lot of due diligence with him,” Grant said. “He’s a great kid, wonderful heart. We’ll see. We’ll still talk to them and see what his position is and what his goals are. Just like any other free agent, if we’re able to make something happen that makes sense for us, we’ll do it. And if not, that’s OK.”
The Cavs have roughly $4 million in cap space to throw at Oden right now, which is more than most teams can afford to offer at this point in the season, so Cleveland may try to beat other bidders to the table. The Miami Heat have expressed interest in adding the oft-injured big man to their mix, but they can't really compete with the Cavaliers' bid during the year.
Oden played college at Ohio State, and he's been rehabbing at the Cleveland Clinic in an effort to get back on the court. If those connections factor into his decision-making at all, the Cavaliers may just wind up with a new toy for Kyrie Irving next season.
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