Report: Hughes headed to Cleveland

The Akron Beacon Journal reported Friday that Cleveland and Hughes had agreed verbally to a deal that is said to be for five years and will start at around $12 million per season. The contract cannot become official until July 22nd, the first day free agents are allowed sign.

Originally selected out of St. Louis by the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round (eighth pick overall) of the 1998 NBA Draft, Hughes had spent the last three seasons in Washington after signing as a free agent with the Wizards in July 2002, The 6-foot-5 guard has also played one-plus seasons with the Sixers and two-plus years with the Golden State Warriors.

The 26-year-old Hughes played 61 games for the Wizards last season and played a major role in the Wizards earning their first postseason berth since 1997, while posting career-highs in points (22.0 ppg), rebounds (6.3 rpg), assists (4.7 apg) and steals (2.89 spg). He played just under 39 minutes per game and made 43 percent of his shots from the floor. The St. Louis product also averaged 20.7 points and 7.1 boards in 10 playoff games for Washington.

Hughes, who led the NBA in steals, was named to this year’s All-Defensive Team. He has played in 444 games during his seven years in the league, and has compiled career-averages of 15.2 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists per contest.

Cleveland had tried to lure Seattle’s Ray Allen and Michael Redd of the Bucks away from their teams with lucrative, multi-year contracts, but were unsuccessful in its attempts. The Cavaliers hope that Hughes can team with superstar LeBron James to give them one of the most explosive and exciting duos in the league.