Cleveland Cavaliers Acquire Kay Felder In 2016 Draft
On June 23rd, 2016, the Atlanta Hawks traded the draft rights of guard Kay Felder to the Cleveland Cavaliers for $2.4 million in cash considerations.
There are not many NBA players that have similarities with Kay Felder. The Detroit native stands just 5′9″ tall, but has explosive athleticism. During the 2016 NBA Draft Combine, Felder had the second best vertical jump (44 inches) in combine history.
Felder played for the mid-major Oakland University and impressed in what would be his final collegiate year. The 5′9″ guard won the Horizon League Player of the Year after compiling 24.4 PPG, 9.3 APG (tops in NCAA Division 1) and 4.3 RPG for the Grizzlies.
Felder built his draft profile with 37 points and nine assists against top-ranked Michigan State in December. He also scored 38 points against Washington and 30 points against number five-ranked Virginia in the same month.
In the 2016 NBA Draft, the Atlanta Hawks ended up drafting Felder with the 54th pick in the draft. The Hawks later sent Felder to Cleveland for $2.4 million. After acquiring Felder, he joined the Cavaliers for 2016 Summer League in Las Vegas. Felder was solid, averaging 15.3 PPG on 42% from the field, 3.4 RPG, 3.9 APG and 1.4 SPG in 7 contests.
The Cavaliers ended up signing Felder to a three-year, $2.4 million deal with only $1 million guaranteed. Felder was relegated to the bench for much of his rookie year. He also spent time in the NBA D-League with Cavaliers affiliate the Canton Charge.
Felder appeared in 42 games with the Cavaliers and posted 4.0 PPG, 1.0 RPG and 1.4 APG in 9.2 MPG. The Michigan native was electric for the Charge where he produced 29.9 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 6.0 APG and 1.5 SPG in 11 games and 36.0 MPG. This included a 41-point outburst early in March against the Fort Wayne Mad Ants.
Cleveland finished second in the Eastern Conference with a 51-31 record. The Cavaliers swept the Indiana Pacers and Toronto Raptors 4-0 in the first round and Semifinals respectively. In the Conference Finals, Cleveland made quick work of the Boston Celtics with a 4-1 series victory.
The Cavs would fall short of a successful title defense as they lost 4-1 to the Golden State Warriors in the 2017 NBA Finals. Felder did not see any playing time in Cleveland’s 2017 playoff run.
Felder played on Cleveland’s 2017 Summer League team. He struggled, shooting just 32% from the field in 4 contests. Felder managed 15.7 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 3.5 APG and 1.7 SPG in 26.4 MPG.
In the 2017 preseason, Cleveland ran into a roster space problem. With more than 15 guaranteed salaries on their roster, the Cavs needed to get rid of players to reach the max number of 15 roster spots. With a partially-guaranteed deal, Felder was a candidate to be moved.
The 5′9″ guard was traded back to Atlanta along with veteran Richard Jefferson, cash and two future second round picks for the draft rights to overseas players Dimitrios Agravanis and Sergiy Gladyr. The Hawks waived Felder soon after the trade.
Kay Felder on the Cavaliers paying $2.4 million to acquire his draft rights (via USA Today):
“That means a lot to give up all that money for one pick. Man — I owe them. They gave up a lot for that pick, and I need to come in there ready to work from Day 1.”
On hearing his name when he was traded to the Cavs (via Detroit Free Press):
“I won’t lie. When they said Cleveland — you get the best player in the world, a lot of experience, they’ve got guys that want to win. I’m a winner, in my eyes. I just want to be a part of it.”
On the draft being a great night (via MLive):
“This is one of the best days of my life. This takes me to a whole other level. My life has changed.”
Cleveland Cavaliers general manager David Griffin on acquiring Kay Felder (via Cavs.com):
“We are excited to welcome Kay Felder to the Cavs’ family. Kay is a dynamic playmaker, and most importantly, the type of person and competitor that we want to add to our locker room.”
Felder’s college coach at Oakland University Greg Kampe on Felder ending up in Cleveland (via USA Today):
“What happened is the best thing that could happen, because Cleveland had no draft picks and paid over $2 million to get him. That’s almost like a guaranteed contract, because you just put $2 million out there to get a pick. You’re probably going to give him a real good chance.”
On Felder’s situation joining the Cavs:
“[Felder’s] got the greatest player in the world right now on his team. They need help at the point, they’ve been in the Finals the last two years. As long as LeBron’s there, they’re going to have a chance to be back. He’s got playoff money coming. It’s just a great situation. You can’t beat it.”
How Cleveland viewed Felder:
“I think he’ll respond great, but I think Cleveland told him he is tall enough. They told me they thought he was a first-round pick, and they didn’t have a pick, but if they did, they would take him. What they said was true.”
Related Tweets:
#CLE
— Uncle Kay (@2kayzero)
June 24, 2016
Only the beginning pic.twitter.com/ddq19FyH6w
— Uncle Kay (@2kayzero)
June 25, 2016
Image via Getty Images/Ned Dishman
