Cleveland Cavaliers agree deal to sign guard Mo Williams
Last Updated: 07/07/15 7:36am
The Cleveland Cavaliers have continued to splash the cash in NBA free agency by agreeing a deal to sign veteran guard Mo Williams.
Williams announced on his Twitter feed on Monday night that he is heading back to Cleveland to team up with LeBron James again on a two-year deal reported to be worth $4.3m by ESPN, with a player option for the second year.
The 32-year-old started last season with the Minnesota Timberwolves and was traded to the Charlotte Hornets, where he averaged 17.2 points in 27 games.
The Cavaliers were in need of a quality backup point guard with the ability to score behind starter Kyrie Irving.
Williams spent two and a half seasons with the Cavaliers and was an All-Star in 2009 before being traded to the Clippers in 2011.
The Cavs have had a busy off-season, re-signing Kevin Love and Iman Shumpert to lucrative extensions and are also in contract talks with free-agent forward Tristan Thompson.
The beaten NBA finalists are also expected to negotiate a new contract with free agent LeBron James once a deal to re-sign Thompson is struck.
James is widely expected to re-sign with the Cavs and the contract reportedly will be straightforward - one year, $22m, with a player's option for next summer.
The four-time NBA Most Valuable Player elected to decline the player option he held as part of the two-year contract signed last summer with the Cavs to do another one-year pact covering the 2015-16 season and re-enter unrestricted free agency again next summer.
Based on new revenue from television and digital rights contracts, James could receive a five-year deal worth up to $200m in 2016 because the Cavaliers hold his Larry Bird Rights, the clause in the current collective bargaining agreement that entices players to re-sign with their current team.
