NBA Free Agency: Cavaliers extend qualifying offer to Matthew Dellavedova

The Cleveland Cavaliers have extended a qualifying offer to guard Matthew Dellavedova, making him a free agent at midnight on July 1. The Cavs had a deadline of June to extend a qualifying offer - which is worth $1.4 million - to Dellavedova. Chris Haynes of cleveland.com was the first to report the news.

Dellavedova, 25, has been an important role player for the Cavs the past two season. He played a big role in the 2015 NBA Finals when Kyrie Irving was out with a fractured knee cap and this past season served as the first guard off the bench at both point guard and shooting guard. This is also the second rummer in a row he has been a restricted free agent. Last summer, no team offered Dellavedova an offer sheet and he returned to the Cavs by signing a qualifying offer worth $1.1 million. He responded by averaging a 7.5 points and 4.4 assists per game while shooting 41 percent from three.

This year, there figures to be a market for Dellavedova. Teams like the Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets and Milwaukee Bucks could be interested and per Haynes, league executives expect Dellavedova to make at least $8 million per season on his next contract. Other estimates have placed Dellavedova’s new salary to be as high as $12 million per season.

If and when he signs an offer sheet, the Cavs will face a tough choice considering their already high payroll. Perhaps as insurance, the Cavs drafted guard Kay Felder from Oakland University with the 54th pick in the 2016 NBA Draft. The Cavs paid $2.4 million to purchase the pick from the Hawks.