Written by Brian Windhorst at ESPN.com
The Cavaliers and Hawks are in deep discussions on a deal that would send veteran shooter Kyle Korver to Cleveland, sources confirmed to ESPN on Thursday.
Korver addressed the potential deal following Atlanta’s win Thursday night in New Orleans and spoke as though he was leaving.
The 14-year veteran said he had an emotional meeting with coach Mike Budenholzer about the news and that he reflected on “a lot of things” as he watched the Hawks’ 99-94 victory over the Pelicans from the bench despite being active.
“There’s definitely mixed emotions,” Korver said. “There’s a lot of hard ties to Atlanta, for a lot of reasons. A lot of friendships, relationships. It’s where I had my best basketball years, honestly. It’s where I had all my kids. It’s hard to leave that behind.
“Obviously it’s a great opportunity for me to go to Cleveland. So I’m very excited about that part of it. But there’s a lot of relationships that I care about here that I’m gonna miss.
“From a basketball perspective, [Cleveland is] a great, great fit for me. And I know that.”
Under the current framework of the trade, the Cavs will send Mo Williams, Mike Dunleavy and a protected 2019 first-round pick to the Hawks for Korver, sources said.
The teams are still in discussions about moving Dunleavy to a third team, the sources said.
The trade was not finalized Thursday night.
The Vertical first reported the talks between the teams.
In a separate deal, the Cavs have agreed to send their 2017 first-round pick toPortland in exchange for their 2018 first-round pick, which the Trail Blazers already own, a source told ESPN. This would enable the Cavs to use their 2019 pick to make the deal with Atlanta. Under league rules, teams cannot trade first-round picks in consecutive seasons.
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