Mike Dunleavy Traded to Cavaliers: Details, Comments and Reaction
The Chicago Bulls traded swingman Mike Dunleavy to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night as a means of opening up cap space to land free-agent star Dwyane Wade.
Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical first reported on the Dunleavy trade, as well as Wade's decision to secure a homecoming to the Windy City on a two-year, $47.5 million contract after spending 13 seasons with the Miami Heat.
The Cavaliers confirmed news of the trade Thursday.
"We are very pleased to be able to welcome Mike to our Cavaliers family,” said general manager David Griffin. “His size, shooting, basketball IQ and versatility make him a great fit for our group on the floor. While his experience, professionalism, grit and team-first character will be key for us in the locker room.”
Wade wasn't able to come to terms with the Heat on a new contract, leaving the possibility open of returning to his birthplace for the next phase of his career. The Bulls needed to free up cap space to acquire him, which led to Dunleavy's departure.
The Vertical's Bobby Marks provided further details on how Cleveland went about landing Dunleavy:
After signing a new three-year deal worth $15 million last offseason, Dunleavy was injured for much of 2015-16 and appeared in only 31 games. However, he comes to the Cavs at quite a bargain considering the increase in the salary cap that's led to massive free-agent contracts.
Chicago's trade with the New York Knicks centering on Derrick Rose saved a considerable chunk of change for next season, as did Pau Gasol's decision to sign with the San Antonio Spurs in free agency, per Wojnarowski. Joakim Noah's open-market departure to join Rose on the New York Knicks freed up even more cap space, per the New York Daily News' Stefan Bondy.
With a pass-first point guard in the fold in Rajon Rondo to join star Jimmy Butler and first-round draft pick Denzel Valentine, per The Undefeated's Marc J. Spears, the Bulls already had an intriguing perimeter trio.
Adding Wade to the mix brings more championship credentials and a great mentor for the relatively young, unproven squad. Plus, the opportunity to play for his hometown team while satisfying his financial demands was too much for Wade to turn down.
As for Dunleavy and the Cavs' side of the trade, he gives the reigning NBA champions much-needed perimeter shooting.
Dunleavy is a career 37.6 percent shooter from beyond the arc, and with J.R. Smith still not re-signed, Cleveland needed depth on the wing and offense off the bench too. Dunleavy fit the bill for both those needs.
Having had experience in Chicago head coach Fred Hoiberg's system, Dunleavy should have little trouble transitioning to an offense in which Cavs head coach Tyronn Lue likes to push the pace. The 35-year-old also has the benefit of playing with dynamic distributors in LeBron James and Kyrie Irving, which should give him a lot of clean looks.
