CLEVELAND (AP) — Cavaliers forward Kyle Korver has been excused from the team to be with family following the death of a younger brother.The team issued a statement late Tuesday night saying Korver's brother, Kirk, died earlier in the day."We extend our deepest condolences and heartfelt best to Kyle and his entire family as they go through this very difficult time," the Cavs said.Korver is expected to miss Wednesday's home game against Toronto.Kyle Korver, who is in his second season with Cleveland, left the Cavs last week after his 27-year-old brother became seriously ill in Iowa. Korver played in Monday night's home win over Milwaukee, scoring 12 points.Korver's personal situation comes one day after Cavs coach Tyronn Lue stepped away from the team for health reasons. The Cavs have also been dealing with an assortment of injuries as Rodney Hood, Tristan Thompson, Larry Nance Jr. and Cedi Osman have been sidelined.

CLEVELAND (AP) — With their NBA title hopes fading fast, the Cavaliers got aggressive at the trading deadline.They swapped teams.Cleveland completely changed its look — and perhaps its chances of winning a championship this season — on Thursday with a stunning sequence of deals. General manager Koby Altman traded six players, including Isaiah Thomas, Dwyane Wade and Derrick Rose, and two future draft picks in moves designed to not only help them in the short term but could potentially help keep LeBron James beyond this season.Just like that, the Cavs traded nearly half their roster, got substantially younger and more athletic and wedged themselves back into contention to make a fourth straight Finals appearance against Golden State.Following a long day that left him "numb," Altman said his main objective in making the deals was to alter the chemistry of a team that was no longer playing with joy."We were really worried that what was going on the floor and sort of our culture in the building... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — With their NBA title hopes fading fast, the Cavaliers got aggressive at the trading deadline.They swapped teams.Cleveland completely changed its look — and perhaps its chances of winning a championship this season — on Thursday with a stunning sequence of deals. The Cavs traded six players, including Isaiah Thomas, Dwyane Wade and Derrick Rose, and two future draft picks in moves designed to not only help them in the short term but could potentially help keep LeBron James beyond this season.Just like that, the Cavs traded nearly half their roster, got younger and maybe wedged themselves back into contention to make a fourth straight Finals appearance against Golden State.Watching from the West Coast, the defending champions took notice."It's interesting, really interesting," Warriors forward Draymond Green said of Cleveland's drastic midseason renovation. "It's probably obviously something that they felt was needed. I feel like they made some good moves. I don't know, we'll... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — With their NBA title hopes fading fast, the Cavaliers got aggressive at the trading deadline.They swapped teams.Cleveland completely changed its look — and perhaps its chances of winning a championship this season — on Thursday with a stunning sequence of deals. The Cavs traded six players, including Isaiah Thomas, Dwyane Wade and Derrick Rose, and two future draft picks in moves designed to not only help them in the short term but could potentially help keep LeBron James beyond this season.Just like that, the Cavs traded nearly half their roster, got younger and maybe wedged themselves back into contention to make a fourth straight Finals appearance against Golden State.Watching from the West Coast, the defending champions took notice."It's interesting, really interesting," Warriors forward Draymond Green said of Cleveland's drastic midseason renovation. "It's probably obviously something that they felt was needed. I feel like they made some good moves. I don't know, we'll... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — With their NBA title hopes fading fast, the Cavaliers got aggressive at the trading deadline.They swapped teams.Cleveland completely changed its look — and perhaps its chances of winning a championship this season — on Thursday with a stunning sequence of deals. The Cavs traded six players, including Isaiah Thomas, Dwyane Wade and Derrick Rose, and two future draft picks in moves designed to not only help them in the short term but could potentially help keep LeBron James beyond this season.Just like that, the Cavs traded nearly half their roster, got younger and maybe wedged themselves back into contention.The Cavs began their shocking overhaul by sending the disappointing Thomas along with forward Channing Frye and one of their two first-round picks to the Los Angeles Lakers for point guard Jordan Clarkson and forward Larry Nance Jr.Thomas, who came over in last summer's blockbuster trade with Boston for Kyrie Irving, played in just 15 games and wasn't fitting in with... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — With the stunning force of a LeBron James dunk, the Cavaliers shattered their roster.Cleveland completely changed its look — and perhaps its chances of winning an NBA title this season — on Thursday with a stunning sequence of trades before the deadline, a person with direct knowledge of the deals told The Associated Press.The Cavs began their overhaul by sending disappointing guard Isaiah Thomas to the Los Angeles Lakers, said the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because the teams are awaiting league approval to finalize all the deals. Thomas played in just 15 games as he returned from a hip injury and struggled to fit in, so the Cavs dealt him along with forward Channing Frye and one of their two first-round picks to the Lakers for point guard Jordan Clarkson and forward Larry Nance Jr.As the Thomas swap was being digested around the league, the Cavs completed a three-team deal with Utah and Sacramento. The Cavs sent guard Derrick Rose and forward Jae Crowder... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — After a quick stop, Isaiah Thomas is moving again. The point guard's strange stay with the Cavaliers is over.Thomas, who was never a good fit in Cleveland while recovering from a hip injury, was traded hours before the NBA's deadline to the Los Angeles Lakers, a person with direct knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press on Thursday.Thomas was dealt with forward Channing Frye and one of the Cavs' two first-round draft picks to the Lakers for point guard Jordan Clarkson and forward Larry Nance Jr, said the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because the teams need NBA approval before the trade can be completed.The Cavs will keep their other first-round pick from the trade that sent Kyrie Irving to Boston last summer for Thomas, who struggled on the floor in Cleveland and seemed at odds with teammates and coaches.ESPN was first to report the deal.Following the Cavs' dramatic 140-138 overtime victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night, Thomas... [More]

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio (AP) — As LeBron James and some teammates practiced free throws at a nearby basket, coach Tyronn Lue addressed questions about the troubling state of the Cavaliers while sitting in a high-backed, cushioned chair.While he was cool, Lue's seat has warmed up.With the Cavs mired in a bewildering midseason slump and less than 24 hours after a historically embarrassing loss to Oklahoma City, Lue said he has no immediate plans to change his starting lineup or rotations. Cleveland fans may be panicking, Lue's not nervous.At least not publicly.The Cavs are just 4-10 since Dec. 19, and in the past two weeks they've lost by 28 at Minnesota, 34 at Toronto and 24 to the Thunder, who scored 148 points and tied a record for the most points allowed by Cleveland in a regulation game — a mark that went unmatched since 1972.It's a mess, and it's a mystery the way James and the Cavs have collapsed. They've slipped in the past, but this slide feels much more ominous than in the previous three... [More]

Semi Ojeleye, Cedi Osman and Royce O'Neale have never started in an NBA game. Cameron Payne last played in April. Matt Costello has scored two points in his NBA career.They're not stars.Yet somehow, someone in an NBA locker room apparently thought they should start in this year's All-Star Game.Only 10 players will start in Los Angeles on Feb. 18, but 249 players — roughly half the league — were listed on at least one ballot in the player portion of the All-Star selection process. And while some of the results might suggest not everyone took it seriously, making the list seemed to leave Philadelphia's Amir Johnson genuinely moved."That's pretty cool, man," Johnson said Thursday night when told that he got a vote. "That shows you how together we are. ... It's just everybody against the world. It's us against everybody."So guys like Ojeleye, Osman, O'Neale, Payne and Costello all got a vote from at least one player. Andre Iguodala, a recent NBA Finals MVP, did not.The league is trying a new... [More]

The Cleveland Cavaliers signed forward Cedi Osman to a contract, the team announced on Tuesday.Terms of the deal were not disclosed by the club, but the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported that it was a three-year pact for $8.3 million. The Cavaliers are also paying $700,000 toward Osman's $1 million buyout of his contract with Anadolu Efes, his Turkish club. Cleveland is using a portion of its $5.2 million exception to the salary cap to pay Osman.Osman has spent the last five seasons with Anadolu Efes in the Turkish Basketball League first division. The 6-foot-8, 215-pound Osman averaged 13.2 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.5 steals in 35 games last season.Osman represented his country at the 2014 FIBA World Cup, FIBA EuroBasket 2015 and the 2016 Manila FIBA World Olympic qualifying tournament.The 22-year-old Osman was selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the 31st overall pick of the 2015 draft. His rights were acquired by the Cavaliers later that night.Osman spent time with team officials in Las Vegas for the start of NBA Summer League. He did not participate in Cleveland's summer games because of a commitment with the Turkish national team.

The Cleveland Cavaliers and Turkish forward Cedi Osman agreed to a three-year, $8.3 million deal, according to multiple reports Wednesday.The Cavs picked the 22-year-old Osman with the 31st pick in 2015 after a trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves.The 6-foot-8 Osman spent last weekend with team officials in Las Vegas for the start of NBA Summer League. He did not participate in Cleveland's summer games because of a commitment with the Turkish national team.Osman averaged 7.1 points and shot 34 percent on 3-pointers for Turkish club Anadolu Efes in Euroleague games last season.The Cavs are paying $700,000 toward Osman's $1 million buyout of his contract with his Turkish club, according to Cleveland.com.Cleveland is using a portion of its $5.2 million exception to the salary cap to pay Osman. The Cavs have $2.4 million of their exception left and they are projected to pay $70 million in luxury tax penalties alone, according to ESPN.