Just days after agreeing to terms with free-agent guard Larry Hughes, the Cavaliers have reportedly re-signed Zydrunas Ilgauskas to a five-year, $60 million deal. Judging by the results of our poll, I’m one of the few who thought the Cavs would be better off with a more athletic center but at the very least, if Danny Ferry insisted on bringing Z back, I’d hoped it would be a reasonable contract. Unfortunately, $12 million annually for five years just doesn’t seem all that reasonable to me.
On the bright side, Z’s signing likely means the Cavs have a better shot at landing fellow Lithuanian Sarunas Jasikevicius, a highly coveted point guard who would instantly improve the team’s outside shooting.
July 12 UPDATE: The ABJ is reporting that the first year of Z’s contract will be worth roughly $9 million, which is both good and bad news. The good news is, the Cavs will still have about $6 million to throw at a point guard, most likely Jasikevicius, one of Z’s best friends. The bad news, though, is that Ilguaskas’ escalating contract will probably be a financial burden before it’s all said and done, although the Beacon Journal also reports the fifth year of the deal is not fully guaranteed.
