Matthew Dellavedova
Jun 14, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) and Cleveland Cavaliers guard Matthew Dellavedova (8) fight for a loose ball during the first quarter in game five of the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena. REUTERS/Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed Australian guard Matthew Dellavedova to a one-year deal. Dellavedova, who played a starting role during the Cavs’ title run on June, accepted Cleveland’s qualifying offer, making the Aussie guard an unrestricted free agent next summer when the NBA’s salary cap is set to increase.

Dellavedova has reportedly agreed to play for his qualifying offer of a one-year US$1.2 million (AU$ 1.6 million approximately) deal as noted by ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. The 24-year-old Australian was looking for a multi-year deal, which starts at $4 million (AU$ 5.4 million) per season. However, his intentions to help Cleveland and Lebron James win the team’s first NBA championship helped him stay with the Cavs.

Dellavedova became an NBA sensation during the final series against Warriors, after displaying a pesky effective defence against league MVP Stephen Curry. The Boomers guard has a per game average of 4.8 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 3.0 assists in 20 minutes, while shooting a career-best of 40.7 percent from beyond the arc. However, with the addition of backup point guard Mo Williams, Dellavedova will potentially see his minutes decline and could possibly be a third stringer in the team’s point guard rotation.

Cleveland has been busy retaining its championship team this summer. After prioritizing superstars Lebron James and Kevin Love, the Cavs quickly added the pieces to another title run by re-signing Iman Shumpert, James Jones, and Dellavedova.

The Eastern Conference champions are yet to bring back free agents Tristan Thompson and JR Smith, who played an important role for Cavs’ title run last season. Cleveland traded Haywood and Miller to the Blazers, allowing the Cavs to create trade exceptions for $10.5 million (AU $ 14.3 million) and $2.85 million (AU$3.9 million) to sign players, according to Yahoo Sports. With Portland being under the team’s salary cap, Blazers were able to absorb the contracts of both players.

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