Report: Shawn Marion ‘leaning strongly’ toward signing with Cleveland

In the last week, Shawn Marion’s free agency has dominated the news. After a quiet free agent outing, the Marion interest increased ten-fold as both the Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers expressed interest in the veteran. And after looking over his options, it looks like Marion’s free agency will be coming to a close soon as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports the forward is leaning toward picking the Cavs over the Pacers.

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For Marion, this couldn’t have been an easy decision. With Paul George expected to miss the entire 2014-16, the Cavaliers present Marion the opportunity to compete for a championship. The end-game? He’ll likely have to do it for the veteran’s minimum. On the flip side, Indy, with the Disabled Player Exception, could offer Marion a deal that could net close to $5 million annually. Unfortunately, this group would be fighting for their playoff lives without George and Lance Stephenson.

With Marion on the roster, he’d add to a wing unit of Dion Waiters, Mike Miller, LeBron James, and James Jones. Of that group, Marion is the best defender and rebounder. Once you factor in his ability to knock down spot-up three’s, he becomes to perfect backup to James.

Last season, Marion averaged 10.4 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.