Clippers Free Agency: Matthew Dellavedova is losing value

With such a limited role and poor efficiency for the Cleveland Cavaliers through the NBA playoffs, is Matthew Dellavedova’s value dropping enough to make him affordable for the Los Angeles Clippers in free agency?

The point guard pool in 2016 NBA free agency isn’t exactly deep. When you look past Mike Conley, who may well stay put in Memphis anyway, there aren’t too many notable players available for teams in need of a new point guard. Especially for those looking for a new starter, their options are limited in terms of high-end targets. Rajon Rondo, Jeremy Lin and even Deron Williams highlight (if you can call it that) the best point guards on the market, which could be even more incentive for desperate franchises to overpay as the salary cap soars, leaving the Los Angeles Clippers in a tricky situation.

If it wasn’t already tricky to begin with, solidifying their backcourt rotation certainly is now if Austin Rivers leaves or seeks a significant pay rise after opting out of his contract.

There are positives, though. This gives the Clippers the opportunity to see if they can find a new backup, potentially adding a better three-point threat and actual point guard. Because despite his serious defensive improvement, improved three-point shooting over the end of the season, and the heart he showed in Game 6 against the Portland Trail Blazers, Rivers is still flawed as a point guard in terms of executing pick-and-rolls and running an offense.

One possible name that we’ve considered here at Clipperholics is Matthew Dellavedova, a backup who’s renowned for his gritty (“dirty,” as some would say) defense. It’s the signature element of his game and has always been the best trait he’s brought to the table. He gets under the skin of his opponents, plays aggressively, dives after loose balls, and does the little things on defense that not everyone does. When scanning over the Clippers’ roster, names like Jamal Crawford and the rapidly ageing Paul Pierce spring to mind.

That defensive attitude could help Doc Rivers, and while Dellavedova is by no means the best backup floor general you could look for, he can at least set up an offense and get the ball moving a little better than Austin Rivers.

With the Cavaliers, though, who are desperately looking for a way to survive in the NBA Finals as they remain down 3-1, Delly’s role has almost disappeared. Unlike last year where he shone at times in the absence of Kyrie Irving, his minutes and efficiency falling only hurt his value for free agency.

must read: Will Jeremy Lin leave the Hornets, consider Clippers?

Of course, when looking at the regular season, Delly’s value is more obvious. He had a career year with new highs in per game averages for points (7.5), rebounds (2.1), assists (4.4) and minutes (24.6), yet that doesn’t turn him into a must-keep player for a loaded Cavs team who need their money for stars.

During the Finals so far, Delly has totalled only 40 minutes playing time (12 over the last two games) and shot 26.7 percent (25 percent from three) while amassing 3.3 points per game. A lack of production is inevitable as the Cavs rely on their stars during a struggle against the Warriors, but Delly has been quiet throughout the playoffs altogether. 4.2 points and 3.1 assists per game with 35.7 percent shooting (27.6 percent from three) in 13.1 minutes a night hardly makes him look like a player the Cavs will be desperate to pay to keep around.

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And that seems apparent before even considering their financial situation. They’re already projected to have a payroll of $108,371,549 if everyone accepts their player option, and someone such as J.R. Smith may well want more than the $5.37 his player option offers him. Plus, there’s always the possibility of LeBron James opting out and adjusting his contract to form a new max deal.

So, even though Delly improved his outside shooting and maintained his reputation as a persistent defender, his declining role and lack of production (and efficiency) in the playoffs could hurt his value. Despite the cap rising, that may help him keep within more reasonable reach of teams without much money like the Clippers.

Unlike someone such as Bismack Biyombo, Delly’s 2016 playoff performance has done the opposite of boosting his value at just the right time before free agency.

Next: 5 point guards Clippers should target in free agency

The Cavs are only going to pay so much for a point guard that they hardly use on the biggest stage, and keeping him around is going to be more stressful than essential to them. This can only help the Clippers if they are interested as his value takes a hit, but whether or not he’s cheap enough, given the wide need for point guards, is yet to be seen. Anything above $5 million is a lot for their budget.

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