After finally getting a taste of the NBA Finals with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Kyle Korver had no interest in going anywhere else.
Korver reached agreement with the Cavaliers on Sunday on a three-year deal worth $22 million, a person with knowledge of the agreement told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because a contract cannot be signed until the moratorium ends on Thursday.
Korver joined the Cavs midway through last season in a trade from Atlanta. The 36-year-old is one of the league’s best outside shooters and made it clear he wanted to stay with Cleveland after his first trip to the finals in his 14th season in the league. He led the league in 3-point shooting last season, hitting 45.1 per cent of his shots, and his shooting only improved once he joined LeBron James and the Cavs.
Korver knocked down 48.5 per cent of his 3s on 5.7 attempts per game as one of the chief floor spreaders for the Cavaliers. His numbers dipped in the post-season to just 5.8 points and 39.1 per cent shooting from 3-point range in 18 games, but Cleveland did not hesitate to bring back a player that adds to shooters Kevin Love, Kyrie Irving, Channing Frye and J.R. Smith.
With that grouping of 3-point shooters surrounding the game’s best playmaker in James, the Cavs are one of the few teams in the league who have a chance of hanging with the Golden State Warriors in a shootout.
Staying in the East is also a good thing for Korver’s chances of returning to the finals. The bulk of the big moves this summer have come in the Western Conference, making the Cavaliers’ path back to the championship round even clearer than it was at season’s end.
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