The Cleveland Cavaliers will soon add another key piece for their title bid as reports indicated that Shawn Marion has decided to join LeBron James in Cleveland.
Marc Stein of ESPN broke the news on Sunday as he reported that Marion is expected to formally sign a deal with the Cavaliers before the end of the month, probably after the reported Kevin Love trade is finalized.
Marion, who averaged 10.4 points and 6.5 rebounds with the Dallas Mavericks last season, met with Cavaliers general manager David Griffin and coach David Blatt two weeks ago where the team expressed their interest in bringing him to Cleveland next season.
Sources said that the Cavaliers offered a one-year deal worth around $1.4 million or within the veteran's minimum level. Marion talked to other team and reportedly got more lucrative offers, but the versatile forward eventually decided to sign with the Cavaliers.
"Marion informed the Cavaliers this weekend that he intends to sign with them this month, despite the fact that Cleveland can only offer him a minimum deal," Stein wrote. "The chance to play with LeBron James and immediately compete for a championship, sources said, clinched Marion's decision to choose Cleveland."
The Indiana Pacers and the Los Angeles Clippers reportedly made their own pitch to Marion, who spent the last five seasons of his career in Dallas.
Pacers president Larry Bird recently confirmed that he had a face-to-face meeting with the 36-year-old forward where he discussed the team's plan to sign him as a short-term replacement for Paul George, who will likely miss the entire 2014-15 season after sustaining a horrific leg injury.
The Pacers were reportedly planning to offer a one-year, $1.7 million deal, which is better than Cleveland's offer in terms of salary, but Bird sounded like he expected Marion to sign with the Cavaliers following their meeting.
"I came away with the feeling that he wants to be on a championship team, a team that's got a chance to win it," Bird said via CBS Sports. "But he knows that we're probably not going to do nothing for a while and he has a place here if he wants to come."
