Report: Cavs owner Dan Gilbert to meet with GM David Griffin about new contract

Griffin's contract expires at the end of June

The Cleveland Cavaliers' season ended just hours ago, but it's never too soon to start thinking about the future. That's what many in the organization will be doing in the coming days, weeks and months as they try to figure out how to topple the mighty Warriors.

One of those people is Cavs owner Dan Gilbert, who, before the team can really move forward this offseason with any potential plans to improve, must figure out his general manager situation. The current GM, David Griffin, is set to become a free agent at the end of June when his contract expires, and as of now he has no deal in place to keep him in Cleveland. 

According to a report, Gilbert is set to meet with Griffin soon about a new contract to keep the GM who brought the Cavs their first title in town. Via cleveland.com:

Cavaliers majority owner Dan Gilbert told cleveland.com he would meet with general manager David Griffin "in the next few days" to determine his future with the franchise after crafting a roster that's gone to three consecutive Finals and won it all in 2016.

Griffin, 47, has a contract that is set to expire June 30. He oversaw the highest payroll in the NBA this season at about $128 million, a team that stormed through the Eastern Conference playoffs but lost to a juggernaut Warriors team in the 2017 Finals with the league's last two MVP winners and a core that's set up to stay together for years.

While bringing Griffin back sounds like a no-brainer in the abstract, the money issue is currently holding up the talks. 

Gilbert declined to say if he was confident Griffin would return -- "it's not fair to him for me to discuss that," Gilbert said -- and the two have not spoken about a new contract over the past few days.

Griffin, who is seeking a raise from a current salary of less than $2 million and some structural changes to the organization, declined comment Monday evening. His name was mentioned for GM openings in Orlando, Atlanta, and Milwaukee, but the Magic and Hawks were denied permission to interview Griffin.

Regardless what happens here, we should hear about a decision soon. Griffin's contract has just a few weeks remaining, and the Cavs will not want to go deep into the offseason without a GM guiding he way.