The small forward reportedly is leaning toward taking less money in order to play for a team with a better shot at contending next season.
View full sizeWhile the Cavaliers are interested in signing Matt Barnes, they are not interested in getting into a bidding war with other teams.CLEVELAND, Ohio — Matt Barnes has a tough choice in front of him and it involves the Cavaliers in a role they're not familiar with.
He has to choose, apparently, between taking less money to play with a likely championship contender or taking a richer contract offered to him by a team with less expectations, the Cavs. In the past, it was the contender Cavs trying to steal free agents on the cheap.
Barnes is taking several days to decide. Wednesday, a source close to Barnes said the lanky but tough small forward was leaning toward accepting an offer from a contending team even if it meant leaving several million on the table. But no final decision had been reached.
The Cavs are believed to like Barnes because of his toughness -- he famously got into a physical battle with Kobe Bryant in a game last season -- and feel he brings certain intangibles beyond his modest statistics of 8.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per game for the Orlando Magic.
But already spurned once this week when it appeared Barnes had accepted a deal with the Toronto Raptors, the Cavs aren't just waiting on Barnes. According to a prominent player agent, the Cavs have been in trade talks to acquire a small forward this week.
Sources said the team has several trade scenarios it is working on with Delonte West, who has a trade-friendly non-guaranteed contract. Trading for a small forward is one of General Manager Chris Grant's options.
View full sizeGuard Delonte West reportedly is on the trading block.Barnes is very much in demand. Numerous teams are interested in signing him. Several of the teams are among the best in the league, including the Miami Heat, Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers.
The issue is that none of those teams can pay Barnes more than $1.8 million to start a contract and the Celtics and Heat can only pay him about $1.1 million next season.
Then there are the Cavs, who with their full midlevel exception of $5.8 million, to use in whole or part, can pay him more. Sources indicate the Cavs have offered Barnes significantly more than the other capped-out suitors.
While Barnes is believed to be heavily considering the lesser offers to more directly compete for a title next season, he did briefly agree to a two-year, $9 million offer from the Raptors on Monday. After losing Chris Bosh and trading Hedo Turkoglu, the Raptors are not considered title contenders.
Toronto did offer more than any other team, including the Cavs, which actually got Barnes to agree to the deal before it fell apart because of salary-cap issues the Raptors couldn't resolve.
As a journeyman who has played for seven teams, Barnes hasn't made a great deal of money by NBA standards. His career earnings are between $7 million and $8 million. So, at age 30, this is an important contract for him.
The difference, even on a two-year deal, between what the Cavs are likely offering and what a team like the Celtics can offer, may be as much as $5 million.
With all of that to consider and the wheels of free agency still turning, it is understandable why Barnes may be losing some sleep this week.
Cavs to sign rookie: The Cavs reached an agreement in principle with rookie free-agent power forward Samardo Samuels on a multiyear contract, agent David Bauman confirmed to The Plain Dealer.
Samuels (6-8, 240) is a low-post player expected to play power forward and center. The deal is believed to have a partial guarantee for the first season, which makes it likely Samuels will make the team. He was impressive during the Vegas Summer League with the Chicago Bulls, averaging 12.6 points and 7.4 rebounds. His biggest statement came when he scored 17 points with seven rebounds and outplayed Sacramento Kings draft picks DeMarcus Cousins and Hassan Whiteside in a game last week.
A high-profile recruit when arrived at the University of Louisville, Samuels averaged 15.3 points and seven rebounds as a sophomore last season before declaring for the draft.
To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: bwindhorst@plaind.com, 216-999-5166