Tap here to view theScore's NBA Offseason Tracker, which includes the latest transactions and rumors.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are opening their wallets in a big way to keep the band together.
Having already reportedly agreed to lucrative free-agent deals with power forwards Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson, the reigning Eastern Conference champs have signed guard Iman Shumpert to a four-year, $40-million contract, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.
The fourth year of the deal is a player option, Wojnarowski reports.
It was reported earlier in the day that Shumpert was set to meet with other interested teams after hitting an impasse in contract talks with the Cavs, but those appear to have been cleared up, with the player option perhaps being the deal-sealing concession.
Shumpert averaged 7.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.3 steals in 38 games for the Cavs, after coming over in a mid-season trade from the New York Knicks. He bumped those averages up to 9.1 points and 4.9 rebounds in the playoffs, and, more importantly, was the team's most reliable perimeter defender as it marched through the Eastern Conference and to within two games of an NBA title.
The signing brings the Cavs' reported salary total from Day 1 of free agency to an absurd $230 million. If that doesn't convince LeBron James - who has said he wants to take a wait-and-see approach before re-signing in Cleveland - that the team is committed to winning, we're not sure what will.
