FILE – In this Jan. 12, 2018 file photo, Golden State Warriors’ Patrick McCaw dribbles during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Milwaukee Bucks in Milwaukee. McCaw is practicing with the Cavaliers, who signed him to a two-year, $6 million offer sheet last week. McCaw officially joined the Cavaliers’ roster on Monday, Dec. 31 after Golden State decided not to match Cleveland’s offer. (AP Photo/Morry Gash, File)
The NBA is looking into the circumstances surrounding Patrick McCaw’s short-lived stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
A person with knowledge of the situation said Tuesday that the league has opened a review at the request of the Golden State Warriors, the team that McCaw had spent the previous two seasons with. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because no details of the probe have been revealed publicly.
The New York Times first reported that the NBA was reviewing the matter. It’s unclear how long the NBA’s review will take, or what — if anything — the Warriors are seeking.
The Warriors held McCaw’s rights as a restricted free agent, then elected not to match the two-year, $6 million offer sheet that he signed with the Cavaliers on Dec. 28 — with the potential luxury tax ramifications among the many reasons that factored into their thinking.
Speaking Tuesday before Golden State’s game with New York, Warriors coach Steve Kerr said he wasn’t aware that his team was involved in the review of the McCaw matter.
“I’ve got enough to worry about,” Kerr said, before adding, “The whole thing was kind of strange. I don’t know that there’s been a totally non-guaranteed offer sheet before.”
McCaw played three games with the Cavs, who waived him Sunday and did so before his contract would have been guaranteed for the remainder of this season. McCaw cleared waivers and is now an unrestricted free agent.
McCaw averaged 4.0 points in 128 regular-season appearances with the Warriors in the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons. He scored five points in the three appearances with the Cavaliers.