Deron Williams signs with Cavaliers after clearing waivers
The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed veteran point guard Deron Williams, the team announced Monday.
On Saturday, multiplereportsindicated that the Cavs intended to get a deal done with Williams on Monday after he cleared waivers over the weekend.
Williams was bought out by the Mavericks after staying put during the trade deadline, and will fill the backup point guard role Cleveland has looked to address all season. LeBron James has publicly lamented the lack of an extra playmaker on the team, and now will have Williams, who’s averaged 8.2 assists per game over the course of his career, on board for a playoff run.
The 32-year-old is a two-time All-NBA player and three-time All-Star, and while his production has waned in recent seasons, he’s averaged 13.1 points and 6.9 assists this season in Dallas.
ESPN’s Marc Stein said this week that he believed the Cavs would be able to land both Williams and Andrew Bogut, who is expected to be bought out by Philadelphia.
Cleveland holds a four-game lead atop the East as the final push for the playoffs begins.
