After Kyrie Irving went down in the NBA Finals with a knee injury that caused him to miss the rest of the series, Matthew Dellavedova stepped in as the starting point guard. Dellavedova had a few bright moments and quickly became a fan favorite in Cleveland because of his constant hustle and very apparent love for the game. Dellavedova is a restricted free agent this offseason, though, and is in no way a guarantee to be back with the Cavaliers this season, according SI.com.
The Cavaliers brought in Mo Williams this offseason on a minimum deal to be Irving's primary backup, so if Dellavedova was to re-sign, it would likely be as the third string point guard. It is being reported that the Australia native is asking for a multi-year deal worth at least $4 million a season. While Dellavedova did make a name for himself in the postseason, he is probably not worth that type of money, especially not to the Cavaliers.
Yes, the fans love Dellavedova, and LeBron James has said glowing things about him and his toughness, but he is a very replaceable player. Another factor here for the Cavaliers is that they are likely going to be paying a massive luxury tax bill this year, so they want to fill out the rest of their roster with lower salary guys that will play for the minimum. While the contract Dellavedova is asking for would pay him about $4 million annually, it would cost the Cavaliers much more than that.
The point guard market has reportedly dried up at this point in free agency, so there aren't many suitors for Dellavedova. If he were to sign an offer sheet with someone, the Cavs would have the right to match it but likely wouldn't if it was for more than the minimum.
Dellavedova was hyped up as a hero in the playoffs for "shutting down" Stephen Curry in one of the games, but in reality, he isn't that good of a defender by most metrics. Not only is his defense probably overrated, but he is basically a non-factor on offense as well. In the playoffs, he averaged 7.2 points and 2.7 assists per game while shooting 35 percent from the field and 32 percent from three with a Player Efficiency Rating of 6.8, which is well below average (15 is an average NBA player). Dellavedova's overall PER for his two year career is 9.6, still not very good.
Dellavedova made himself into a household name this season, so it is hard to blame him for trying to cash in on that now that he is a free agent. The truth is, though, that he is at best a fringe NBA player that shouldn't get much playing time, according to the numbers. If Dellavedova holds to that $4 million dollar per year asking price, he will likely come to find out that he won't be back with Cleveland next season, which is likely the right move for them.
