Bye, Bye Birdman…

The Cavs decided today to part ways with Chris “Birdman” Andersen, announcing they’ve traded him and cash considerations to the Charlotte Hornets to open up a roster spot.

Andersen tore his right ACL in December, ending his season (his 16th in the league). Originally signed in the summer for frontcourt depth, his loss created a shortage in the Cavalier big man rotation. Birdman played just 12 games this season before the injury, averaging 2.3 ppg and 2.6 rpg.

In return for their former illustrated big man, the Cavs reportedly get a 2017 second-round pick from Charlotte (top-55 protected), according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. The move also saved the Cavs some money due to tax implications. If they had just waived Andersen instead, the portion of his veterans minimum salary the team pays ($980,481) would go on their luxury-tax bill. Here’s an explanation that includes all the math from ESPN’s Kevin Pelton:

Because the tax calculation is set based only on the team’s year-end books, trading Andersen removes him entirely. And because of Cleveland’s current tax bracket, that saves the team 2.5 times his salary in taxes (about $2.45 million). The Cavaliers also save another $335K in salary remaining on Andersen’s contract, per cap specialist Albert Nahmad.

The cash Cleveland sent to Charlotte cuts into that savings, but the Cavaliers were limited to offering $750,000 after previously spending most of their $3.5 million allowed annually to facilitate several other trades, according to BasketballInsiders.com. Under the reasonable presumption Cleveland sent all the cash possible to the Hornets, they still come out a little more than $2 million ahead here.

With Birdman flying the coop, the Cavs once again have an open roster space (with the previous one being at least temporarily occupied by Derrick Williams on a 10 day contract). No word yet on how the Cavs plan to fill that spot, but they have been on the hunt for both a Birdman replacement and an additional playmaker in the back court.