The Cleveland Cavaliers made a trade and now have enough room for LeBron James' maximum-level contract.
Now, they're waiting to see if James, the most sought-after free agent this summer, wants to return to the Cavaliers where he spent the first seven seasons of his NBA career.
The Cavaliers traded Sergey Karasev and Jarrett Jack to the Brooklyn Nets and sent Tyler Zeller and a future first-round draft pick to the Boston Celtics, a person familiar with the three-team trade told USA TODAY Sports. Marcus Thornton also was sent from Brooklyn to Boston.
CAVS: Also targeting Ray Allen
HEAT: Need LeBron to act soon
The person requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly about the deal until the free agency moratorium period ends on July 10.
The move clears enough salary cap space for Cleveland to offer Akron-born James a max deal and bring him back home to a roster that features Kyrie Irving, Tristan Thompson and 2014 No. 1 overall pick Andrew Wiggins. Cleveland eliminates the salaries of Jack ($6.3 million), Zeller ($1.7 million) and Karasev ($1.5 million).
While the trade centers on Cleveland and its chance at signing James, Boston is stockpiling quality assets. Celtics President Danny Ainge now potentially has three 2015 first-round picks, two 2016 first-round picks, two 2017 first-round picks and two 2018 first-round picks.
In the days leading up to this trade, Cavaliers officials have exuded an increasing level of confidence privately that they could land James — again. To that end, it was fitting that they saw restricted free agent small forward Gordon Hayward agree to an offer sheet with the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday night.
The Cavaliers met with Hayward days before but never made an offer. And while the Cavaliers denied that such a bid, which can be matched, was ever in the works, it was indisputably interesting how they'd passed on the opportunity to possibly sign one of the market's best young talents. Had they given Hayward an offer sheet of that magnitude, they would have been taken out of the running for James until and unless the Utah Jazz matched the offer.
Meanwhile, the mixed messages regarding Miami's current place in this race — and Carmelo Anthony's possible role in it — continued. The New York Knicks expected to hear a decision from their free agent small forward by Monday, and the delay has only led to more questions about whether he was truly deciding between the Knicks, Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers or if he might become a new member of the Heat's Big 3.
That scenario was sparked by Houston's recent max contract offer to free agent forward Chris Bosh, who could choose to join Dwight Howard and James Harden with the Rockets while making room for Anthony to join James and Dwyane Wade with the Heat. In this silly season in which every tea leaf is examined to the fullest, some noted that Bosh had not been seen in Las Vegas this week while James was spending significant time with Wade there during the time leading up to his meeting today with Riley.
ESPN first reported the trade.
WATCH: Why LeBron should return to Cleveland
Eddie Johnson breaks down the reasons LeBron James should go back to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
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