In the wake of the first major trade of the NBA season that sees Kyle Korver move from the Atlanta Hawks to the Cleveland Cavaliers, trade piece Mike Dunleavy is reportedly not looking to stay with his new team. Sources tell ESPN.com that Dunleavy seeks a buyout from Atlanta to become a free agent. NBA rules state that a player has 72 hours after a trade has been made official to report to their new team and pass a physical. That hurdle also harms the Cavs because Korver cannot begin practicing until Dunleavy passes his physical with Atlanta.
Dunleavy is due to make $4.9 million this season and has been relatively lackluster this season with the Cavaliers. He averaged 4.6 points and 2.0 rebounds per game in Cleveland but was unable to find the floor often enough to make a meaningful impact. However, Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer tells ESPN’s Marcus Spears and Marc Stein he looks forward to having the 36-year old Dunleavy on the team:
“We’ll bring him in. I think he’s got the type of game and a skill set that I think he could be very good playing for us. We’ll just have to see how he is, integrate him, continue to build. He’s a player who I’ve liked and, personally I’ve liked, for a long time. We’ll see how he fits into our mix.”
Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical on Yahoo! Sports also reports that Dunleavy isn’t joining the Hawks on their trip to New York and the sharpshooter is looking forward to a buyout so he can head to a contender.
In an effort to expedite a contract buyout to become a free agent, Mike Dunleavy Jr. has no plans to report to the Atlanta Hawks prior to Tuesday’s game in New York, league sources told The Vertical.
Over the weekend, Dunleavy, 36, had a telephone conversation with Hawks president and coach Mike Budenholzer and expressed his desire to play for a contending team, league sources told The Vertical.
Nevertheless, Dunleavy is determined to work with the Hawks on finding a new home. Atlanta was unable to find a trade partner for Dunleavy as part of a three-way deal with Cleveland despite significant effort. While Atlanta has publicly maintained that it believes Dunleavy can fit with the Hawks the rest of the season, the fact that the organization tried so hard to find a third team to take him in the trade suggests that was likely more of a negotiating chip to convince Dunleavy that they’re OK with keeping him, a way to push Dunleavy to give up more guaranteed money in buyout talks.
Dunleavy is owed $4.8 million this season and $1.5 million of his 2017-18 contract is guaranteed. The two sides would need to come to an agreement on how much savings Atlanta could get by letting him go and becoming a free agent.
The Hawks also receive PG Mo Williams from the Cavs, but the team does not expect him to be with them this season, as he is essentially retired in September.
The real gains in this trade are the first round pick and the freed up roster space. Younger Hawks players like Taurean Prince and DeAndre Bembry get more playing time to show if they truly are the future in Atlanta. The Hawks, despite being in the thick of the playoff race, are essentially waving the white flag. In addition to Korver, the Hawks are talking to teams about Paul Millsap and Tim Hardaway Jr.
