The strange journey for Patrick McCaw may be coming to an end after the third-year shooting guard agreed to an offer sheet with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported the deal is for $6 million over two years. The Warriors will have 72 hours to match the offer or allow McCaw to walk.
Bobby Marks of ESPN provided further details:
Offer sheet must be for a minimum of 2 seasons (not including option years). Cleveland still has the full $8.6M midlevel exception and $3.4M biannual. The Cavaliers are $3.93M below the luxury tax.
Matching the Patrick McCaw offer sheet would see the Golden St. tax bill increase from $50.3M to $61.6M.
Cleveland will be $936,089 below the luxury tax if Golden St. does not match the Patrick McCaw offer sheet ($3M per for 2 seasons). The Cavaliers have a $950K cap hit as part of an injury settlement for guard Isaiah Taylor.
McCaw spent the past two years with the Golden State Warriors, who made the 23-year-old a qualifying offer in June for the 2018-19 season.
He allowed the Oct. 1 deadline to sign a two-year deal worth up to $5 million pass, but the Warriors retained the right to match any potential contract offers from other teams.
Per The Athletic’s Marcus Thompson II, as recently as Oct. 13, McCaw’s teammates in Golden State were unable to get in touch with him.
“You can’t do this after two years,” one Warriors player told Thompson. “You’ve got to get the clout first. He doesn’t have the leverage.”
Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported on Nov. 7 that McCaw was in contact with several teams, including the Warriors, about a potential deal.
McCaw’s leverage in negotiations with Golden State was likely low coming off a disappointing second season in 2017-18. His shooting percentage dropped from 43.3 percent as a rookie to 40.9, and his three-point percentage went from 33.3 to 23.8.
At his best, he is a competent offensive player who will add a few points and assists per game. His primary value will come on defense, where his long 6’7″ frame allows him to match up with multiple positions.
The Cavaliers are banking on a focused McCaw to turn his career around after a difficult sophomore campaign with the Warriors. He’s still young and developing, so it’s hard to argue with the upside based on what he’s going to be making on his new contract.
Courtesy: Bleacher Report
