Report: Cavaliers about to offer Greg Oden multi-year contract

Greg Oden wants to give it another go in the NBA and teams were lining up to get him. The Celtics and Spurs were among those with interest, as were the Heat with the lure of all the… let’s say “extracurricular activities” Miami can provide.

But Cleveland was always the front runner to land Oden — after leaving the NBA in 2009 he went back to Ohio, has taken classes at Ohio State, and worked on his comeback. It’s where he is comfortable.

And the Cavaliers had interest — now they are about to make that formal a multi-year offer reports Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal, via Sulia:

The Cavs are expected to offer free agent center Greg Oden a two-year contract with a team option for a third year after the Feb. 21 trade deadline passes, a league source said….

Oden is living nearby in Columbus. His agent, Mike Conley Sr., said last week Oden has been to see the Cavs a couple of times already, but was evasive when pressed as to what capacity.

“Greg has been up there (to Cleveland) before and he’ll probably be up there again in an official capacity,” Conley said Friday.

Nothing happens before the trade deadline because nobody messes with cap space before the deadline. Just in case. But afterward look for Oden to take the offer.

Why do this if you’re Cleveland? Because if Oden can finally get back on the court and give you a solid 15 minutes a night off the bench, he will be a steal. This guy was the No. 1 pick over Kevin Durant for a reason — he could play. In the 82 games he did play, he looked good. If he can get back on the court in a limited role and be solid, well, have you looked around at the state of big men in the NBA? He would have real value.