http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=nba&id=1826405 CLEVELAND -- Expecting to lose Jason Kapono in the expansion draft, the Cleveland Cavaliers reached a tentative deal to acquire forward Sasha Pavlovic from Utah, a league source told The Associated Press. Kapono, the Cavaliers' best outside shooter last season, was to be selected Tuesday night by the Charlotte Bobcats, the source said on condition of anonymity. Charlotte was also going to select Pavlovic, who was left unprotected by the Jazz, and send him to Cleveland for an unspecified future draft pick, the source said. After being drafted with the No. 19 overall pick, the 6-foot-7 Pavlovic averaged 4.9 points in 79 games as a rookie last season. He went 19-for-70 on 3-pointers. In Utah, Pavlovic worked extensively with new Cavaliers assistant coach Kenny Natt. The Cavs are desperate for outside shooting help. They shot just 31 percent on 3-pointers last season and are hoping Pavlovic can offset their deficiency from the perimeter. Cleveland will probably try to add another long-range shooter as well as a backup point guard in Thursday's NBA draft. Kapono, 23, averaged 3.5 points in 41 games last season for Cleveland, which selected him in the second round (No. 31 overall) from UCLA. The 6-foot-8 Kapono shot 48 percent(21-for-44) on 3-pointers. He had his best game on Feb. 23 against New Orleans, going 5-for-5 on 3-pointers and scoring 19 points to help rally the Cavs from a 25-point deficit in a victory over the Hornets. Kapono's potential makes him attractive to the Bobcats as does his contract, just $620,000 next season.
Cavaliers Complete Trade With Charlotte FYI... http://www.ev1.net/english/news/newsarticle.asp?articleID=27771065&subject=sports Cavaliers Complete Trade With Charlotte The Cleveland Cavaliers completed their trade with Charlotte on Wednesday, acquiring forward Sasha Pavlovic for a future first-round draft pick. Pavlovic was selected in Tuesday night's expansion draft by the Bobcats after he was left unprotected by the Utah Jazz. The 20-year-old, who averaged 4.8 points as a rookie last season, will help the Cavaliers offset the loss of Jason Kapono, their best outside shooter who was also picked by Charlotte. "We look at Sasha as a low-risk, high-reward addition to our team," Cavs general manager Jim Paxson said. "He has already proven he can play at the NBA level and, at only 20 years old, he could potentially develop into a very good player." Pavlovic was taken with the No. 19 overall pick last season by Utah. To get the 6-foot-7 forward, the Cavs gave up the first-round pick they got in the 2002 trade that sent forward Lamond Murray to Toronto.
