It appears another domino has fallen in the quick changes happening in the Cleveland Cavaliers front office. General Manager David Griffin departed the team amidst making yet another move to improve the team on Monday.
Owner Dan Gilbert decided not to renew his contract after three years with the organization which caused a ripple in NBA circles, but the work on a potential deal didn’t stop as assistant GM Koby Altman continue working to get something done.
Things didn’t stop there as changes continued on Tuesday when it was made known that Cavs Senior VP of basketball operations Trent Redden in a similar situation to Griffin will not have his contract renewed at the end of the month. While little is known about how much of an impact this will bring to the team, if any at all, Gilbert himself is more involved with the team at the moment with Thursday’s draft pending.
The Cavs had a massive payroll coming into the 2016-17 season at $121 million and facing a $45 million luxury tax bill to boot. By any chance, this continues for a third season, the team will be on the hook to pay even steeper fines due to the repeater tax clause for the next two seasons. While the Cavs have been to the NBA Finals the last three years, it didn’t come without cost.
Gilbert has made it known that he is currently looking to interview ESPN Analyst Chauncey Billups to replace Griffin this season, and appears to be leading the charge into whatever new direction the team takes into the future.