Report: Cavaliers strike 2-year, $4.3M deal with Mo Williams
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What's old is new again.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have agreed to terms with unrestricted free agent guard Mo Williams on a two-year, $4.3-million deal, according to Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski.
Williams returns to Cleveland, where he spent three years with the Cavs from 2008 to 2011. For the first two of those seasons, Williams was the team's second-leading scorer behind LeBron James, and reached his only NBA All-Star Game in 2009.
I'm coming home!!!!! #cavsnation #cityilove #questforaring
— Mo Williams (@mowilliams) July 7, 2015
The Cavs were known to be looking hard for a scorer off the bench, and the veteran combo guard was a heavily-rumored fit into their backcourt rotation behind starters Kyrie Irving and Iman Shumpert. The signing of Williams casts some doubt on rumors of the Cavs exploring trades for Jamal Crawford or Joe Johnson, and quite frankly begs the question why J.R. Smith chose to opt out of his $6.4-million deal with Cleveland next season.
However, multiple reports added Monday night after the Williams news that the Cavs have not abandoned keeping Smith or restricted free agent Matthew Dellavedova.
Cavs used part of taxpayer mid-level to sign Mo Williams. They will have $1.3 million of it leftover.
— Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) July 7, 2015
The 32-year-old Williams is a volume shooter, and one who scored a Minnesota Timberwolves franchise-record 52 points in a January game against the Indiana Pacers. He was traded one month later, and averaged about 17 points on 15 shots a game in 27 contests with the Charlotte Hornets.