Although a fifth straight NBA Finals rematch is highly unlikely, the rivalry between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors added another chapter on Friday.
According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Cavs have signed Warriors guard Patrick McCaw to an offer sheet, forcing Golden State to decide whether or not it will retain the restricted free agent.
After appearing in 128 regular season games and 21 postseason contests for the Warriors over the course of the previous two seasons, the 23-year-old McCaw has yet to play in the 2018-19 campaign. As a restricted free agent, he had received a one-year, $1.71 million qualifying offer from the Warriors, but had yet to sign that or any other offer.
That changed on Friday when McCaw accepted Cleveland's 2-year, $6 million deal. Per Wojnarowski, the deal is non-guaranteed, giving the Warriors the option to keep him or waive him by Jan. 7, which would make the 6-foot-7 reserve guard an unrestricted free agent.
Per NBA rules, Golden State has three days to decide whether to match the offer or allow McCaw to join the Cavs.
A second-round selection out of UNLV in 2016, McCaw averaged 4.0 points in 15.9 minutes per game during his first two seasons in Golden State. In both seasons, the Warriors won the NBA title, beating the Cavs consecutive Finals appearances.
While the Cavs are currently rebuilding following the offseason departure of LeBron James, the Warriors are looking to add their third straight world championship. At 23-13, they are currently tied for the best record in the Western Conference, but are coming off of consecutive losses at home for the first time since losing to the Cavs in Games 5 and 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals.