Cleveland traded veteran guard Kyle Korver to Utah for Alec Burks and two future second-round draft picks Wednesday, and some of Korver’s now-former Cavs teammates were reportedly upset by the swap.
Korver, 37, says he’s happy to relocate back to Salt Lake City, where he played for the Jazz from 2007-10.
Exclusive to @TheAthleticNBA: Kyle Korver opens up on trade to Jazz and the Cavs he’s leaving behind https://t.co/lKszHMeQYp
— Joe Vardon (@joevardon) November 29, 2018
Korver asked the Cavs to move him last summer after LeBron James left via free agency.
Per The Athletic:
“I think just overall I’m really grateful for my time in Cleveland,” Korver said. “So many amazing opportunities. Incredible teammates. Relationships that I’ll take with me for the rest of my life. The fans have really embraced me and my family. I’ve never heard ‘thank you’ so many times from fans, even after harder moments.
“Cleveland fans are who you want to play for.”
The hard part for veterans is coming to work every day and trying to win games, knowing the deck is stacked against them. It’s knowing that scenes like what unfolded Wednesday — Korver being traded just after he arrived at Chesapeake Energy Arena to play against the Thunder — are possible, even probable. Korver was on the court early getting up shots when an assistant pulled him off and told him he’d been traded. Most teammates didn’t even get to say good bye.
Multiple Cavs players are upset with the trading of Korver, insofar as this is a team with very little outside shooting. Korver’s only averaging 6.8 points per game, but he’s still shooting .463 from the outside and is one of the greatest 3-point shooters in NBA history. Subtracting him from the team only makes it harder to win games, they feel.
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