During the 2017 NBA Finals, Cleveland Cavs veteran guard Iman Shumpert saw his role on the floor significant diminish as the series wore on.
In the offseason that has followed, he saw his name mentioned in various trade rumors, but nothing came to fruition. According to Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com, Shumpert aired out his feelings concerning his role with the team prior to the start of training camp with head coach Tyronn Lue.
“It was just that time for me to have a, just a grown-up conversation with him and just let him know, ‘Can we just sort of knock down the coach-player thing right now and can I just sort of talk to you personally about how I feel about how everything finished up last year?'” Shumpert said after practice Tuesday.
Shumpert said things got “built up” over the summer after he did not have an opportunity for an exit meeting with Lue after the Cavs’ 4-1 loss to the Warriors.
“That was different for me,” Shumpert said. “I’m used to an exit interview, so, I felt like that’s the time you’re able to be honest and be outside of talking team.”
This was a chance for Shumpert to get on the same page with Lue on before the start of the upcoming season, where he could see his role further limited after a busy summer that saw several key additions. It could put him on the outside looking in if he begins to struggle shooting the ball once again like he did last year.
Throughout his career, Shumpert had proven to be a valuable defensive asset and a stable offensive contributor. However, his shooting woes in the second half of the season that saw him hit 25.3 percent from beyond the arc bled over to the playoffs leading to a decreased playing time in the NBA Finals.
The 27-year-old is set to enter the third year of his four-year, $40 million deal that includes an $11 million player option for the 2017-18 campaign.