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Cavs Officially Sign Shawn Marion
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsUpdated15 Oct 2021
Shawn Marion and the Cleveland Cavaliers confirmed Tuesday that the veteran forward signed with the team.
Reports surfaced in August that Marion and the Cavs had reached a one-year contract agreement. On Tuesday morning, Marion wrote “done deal” on an Instagram post and the Cavs followed with an official announcement.
“Shawn brings great versatility, talent and championship experience to the team,” Cavs general manager David Griffin said. “He will impact both ends of the floor and his ability to guard multiple positions will be particularly important for us.
“Shawn is an accomplished, high-caliber veteran that will help with leadership on and off the court and we’re very happy to welcome him to the Cavaliers family.”
The Cavs landed Marion despite only being able to sign him for a league minimum salary of $1.4 million this season, according to reports. The Cavs did not disclose terms of the contract.
“I’m excited to be a Cavalier,” Marion said. “I can see the hunger and mentality of everyone in the organization and l look forward to being a part of it. The goal is to win a championship and that’s what I want.”
The 36-year-old Marion started 76 games for the Dallas Mavericks last season and averaged 10.4 points while shooting 48 percent from the field. Several other teams pursued Marion, including the Indiana Pacers, in part because of his defensive ability.
Marion was attracted to Cleveland by the chance to play with LeBron James, who was signed by the Cavaliers in the offseason. The Cavs still could add veteran guard Ray Allen to the roster before the season begins.
Marion is expected to be a sub off the bench for the Cavs.
In 15 NBA seasons with the Phoenix Suns, Miami Heat, Toronto Raptors and Mavericks, Marion has averaged 15.8 points and 9.0 rebounds per game.
The 6-foot-7 Marion is also one of four players in NBA history with at least 17,000 points, 9,000 rebounds, 1,500 steals and 1,000 blocks. The others are Hakeem Olajuwon, Karl Malone and Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Garnett.
