CLEVELAND: Kyle Korver was single when he fed off Deron Williams’ assists in Utah for three seasons. So they spent a lot of their summers playing golf together in Park City.
“A shooter always wants to have a good relationship with his point guard,” Korver said Saturday.
Korver deserves the bulk of the credit for luring the 32-year-old former Dallas Maverick to the Cavaliers to fill a hole that’s been gaping since Matthew Dellavedova left for Milwaukee in the offseason.
Waived by the Mavericks Thursday, Williams set his sights on Cleveland to join his close friend and help the Cavs defend their NBA title.
Williams attended The Colony High School north of Dallas and said he wasn’t looking to leave the Mavericks.
“No, not really. I didn’t ask for a trade, ask for a buyout,” he said. “I was on my way to practice when I got the call they were going to go in a different direction. There’s no hard feelings.
“I had a great time in Dallas. It’s my home and I was enjoying playing in front of my friends and family and things like that, but it’s a business, they made a business decision, I respect that and it allowed me to come and join the Cavs. I’m just excited about this opportunity.
All-Star announcement
The Cavs announced the signing of three-time All-Star Williams Monday, although there had been little doubt of his intentions since he cleared waivers Saturday at 5 p.m.
With the remaining portion of Williams’ salary for 2016-17 and taxes, Williams will cost the Cavs about $900,000, according to Cleveland.com.
He will ease the ball-handling responsibilities for Kyrie Irving and LeBron James, who leads the Cavs with a team-high 4.3 turnovers per game.
Williams spoke to the media at Quicken Loans Arena just before the start of Monday’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks. Although he said he considered a couple other teams, Williams said at the end of the day he felt the Cavs were the best fit.
Williams also played with James as a member of Team USA in the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games.
“It was a team that showed interest in the offseason in signing me, and I think my name was thrown around all season. I know a lot of the guys on the team, you know playing with LeBron in the Olympics,” Williams said. “I played with Kyle and he’s one of my good friends and we still talk.
“I just feel like I’ll be comfortable here. I’ll have a significant role here ... with the need for a backup for Kyrie and also being able to play with Kyrie. We get a chance to play together and, of course, competing for a championship is something that I haven’t had a chance to do.”
Williams’ teams have never advanced past the Western Conference Finals, which he reached in 2007 with Utah before falling to the San Antonio Spurs.
“Any team that has LeBron James is going to be relevant,” Williams said. “And you have Kyrie, who is one of the best point guards in the game. When Kevin [Love] is healthy this team is loaded from top to bottom, really deep, has a lot of shooters, a lot of weapons. Obviously a lot of championship experience. That’s all the things you need to make a run in the playoffs, definitely poised to try to repeat.”
Fruitless pursuit
The Cavs pursued Williams in free agency in July 2015 after he was waived by the Brooklyn Nets, but Williams signed with the Mavericks three days later. Williams didn’t seem to mind taking a lesser role with the Cavs.
“Griff did promise me a starting job,” he joked, referring to Cavs General Manager David Griffin. “No, at this point in my career and this point in the year, you know, I just felt like this was the best fit.”
Williams carries career averages of 16.6 points, 3.1 rebounds and 8.2 assists while shooting 44.4 percent from the field and 35.6 percent from 3-point range. In 40 games this season, he posted averages of 13.1 points, 2.5 rebounds and 6.8 assists while hitting 43 percent of his field goals and 34.8 percent from beyond the arc.
Williams joins Korver and Derrick Williams, all acquired by the Cavs since Jan. 7 to shore up the roster for their title defense.
Korver said after Monday’s shootaround he had been frequently texting with Deron Williams and that Williams was excited to join the Cavs.
“I really think it’s an incredible fit,” Korver said Monday. “Deron’s someone who can play with the ball, he can get us into sets, he’s obviously been a great point guard for a lot of years. He understands the whole team, getting guys into their spots and executing an offense, which is good. He’s got size, he can switch. He can play with the ball, he can play off the ball. He’s a really good shooter. There’s not a lot of point guards that can do both and he’s capable of doing that.
“He’s a smart player, he’s a veteran guy, he wants to win and I think all around it’s a really good fit.”
Asked if Williams still remembers where Korver likes the ball, Korver said, “Yes. Well, if he doesn’t I’ll remind him.”
That won’t be a problem.
Asked if he remembered, Williams said, “For sure.”
Marla Ridenour can be reached at mridenour@thebeaconjournal.com. Read her blog at www.ohio.com/marla. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MRidenourABJ.