Report: Cavaliers, Larry Drew agree to deal with guaranteed money beyond this season
The Cleveland Cavaliers and interim head coach Larry Drew have agreed to a new deal with guaranteed money through the rest of this season.
Larry Drew and Cavaliers have agreed on a deal for rest of season and partial guarantee for next season, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 5, 2018
The deal has a buyout clause that guarantees money for Drew if the Cavaliers choose to hire another coach next season, according to the report.
The Cavs promoted Drew from assistant coach after firing Tyronn Lue six games into the season.
Drew publicly rejected interim label
Drew immediately rejected the interim tag, going as far as denying that he was actually the acting head coach in Cleveland when he was announced.
“I’m not the interim coach,” Drew told reporters the day after Lue’s firing. “I’m the voice right now. I’m sure you guys are aware that there are some talks that are going on. I don’t know if any type of agreement or settlement will be made. I am prepared either way. I’ll continue to do my job, but right now there has not been any type of agreement.”
Drew has coached in the NBA a long time
Drew has worked NBA sidelines as an assistant or head coach since 1992 and essentially refused to take on the role of substitute teacher when the Cavs labeled him the interim coach. He was the head coach of the Atlanta Hawks from 2010-13 and the Milwaukee Bucks during the 2013-14 season.
He wanted some guarantees in terms of finances and to give him some heft as the guy who’s actually in charge of the locker room.
Now he’s reportedly received those guarantees. Terms of the deal were not reported.
Cavs were initially lukewarm on Drew
General manager Koby Altman gave Drew a half-hearted endorsement after firing Lue.
“Right now, Larry Drew is going to be the voice for now for this team, but right now it was my job to right the ship and push us in the right direction, so we had to make the decision,” Altman told reporters.
Monday’s reported agreement implies that the team has, at a minimum, placed value on buying some stability for the short term while leaving flexibility for a deeper dive into a coaching search if they’re not convinced that Drew is the right person for the job.
The Cavs have been a mess since the departure of LeBron James and are now 1-8 after the 0-6 start that led to Lue’s departure.
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