Former Cavaliers point guard Matthew Dellavedova signed a long-term contract with the Melbourne United of Australia, but he doesn’t want it to mean the end of his NBA run.
“My goal is to get back to the NBA,” Dellavedova told Kane Pittman of ESPN. “I feel like I’ve got a lot more left in the tank, a lot of things to improve on.
“There were some talks with NBA teams, nothing concrete at this stage. Overseas there were pretty significant offers. But I’ve always wanted to come and play here.”
Dellavedova, 30, is 6-foot-3 and a native of Australia. He appeared in just 13 games last season, suffering an array of injuries, including a concussion and whiplash. He also underwent an emergency appendectomy.
He indicated he is fully healthy now and entirely ready to roll.
“The body is feeling great. That’s the main thing, I feel like I just need to put a good chunk of time together training but also games,” he told Pittman. “Playing a lot of minutes and having the ball in my hands, making decisions and things like that. I’m going to have a great opportunity to do that with United.”
He spent six years with the Cavs, each of the previous two on one-year contracts. Dellavedova was a fan favorite in Cleveland, his relentless hustle earning the respect of coaches and teammates alike.
He went undrafted out of Saint Mary’s (Calif.) in 2013, signing on with the Cavs as a rookie free agent. After being a member of the Cavs’ title team in 2016, he signed with the Bucks. He was traded back to the Cavs in a three-team deal with the Wizards in December 2018.
He carries NBA career averages of 5.5 points and 3.7 assists. Melbourne United has won the NBL championship in two of the past three seasons.
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