The Cleveland Cavaliers seemed to have spent every last one of their assets building a great roster. They have used their draft picks and young players to make trades to bring in Kevin Love, Iman Shumpert and Timofey Mozgov, as well as J.R. Smith who could still return to the team.
Their cap space, something they held precious for years, has been spent on LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, Love, Shumpert and soon Tristan Thompson Even with the Salary Cap expected to skyrocket, the Cavs will only have exceptions to sign free agents off of another team. At this point, the Cavs can only sign players to veteran’s minimums for this season.
Yet with LeBron on their team and a very competitive Western Conference to have to deal with in the NBA Finals, the Cavs can’t stop trying to build their roster. So what assets do they have left, what are their value and how can they be used? The list isn’t very long but lets take a look:
Draft Picks
2016 2nd Round Pick (Top 55 Protected) – This pick would come from the LA Clippers if they have one of the 4 best records in the league next year. Little to no value for one of the last 4 picks in the 2nd Round of the NBA Draft.
2017 1st Round Pick – The Cavs have their 1st Round pick in two years. Based on how long Irving, Shumpert, Love and likely Thompson will be signed for, as well as the likeliness that LeBron never leaves Cleveland again, their pick will be pretty low. The Cavs, like this year’s NBA Draft pick, can’t move this pick until draft night of 2017, after they use the pick.
2017 2nd Round Pick (Top 55 Protected) – Same as the pick in 2016 except this pick would come from the Kings, so it isn’t coming.
2018 & 2019 1st Round Picks – The Cavs have their 2018 and 2019 1st Round picks. The 2018 pick is the closest first round pick that they can trade to acquire more talent soon. With picks in both 2017 and 2019, this pick is able to be moved immediately. Because of how long the Cavs have their core sewn up for, this pick won’t have a ton of value but is likely to be used if the Cavs are going to greatly upgrade their roster this year via a trade.
1st & 2nd Round Picks: 2020 and Beyond – Who knows what the NBA will look like in 2020 and beyond but the Cavs have both of their picks at this point. Those picks are so far away that neither the Cavs nor other NBA teams have any idea how to value them.
Young Talent
Joe Harris – Harris is a 2nd year guard out of the 2nd Round. The Cavs hope that he can develop into a knock down shooter but his Summer League performance doesn’t bode well for the future. Harris doesn’t have a ton of value but could build it with LeBron creating openings for him to knock down shots.
Cedi Osman – This was GM David Griffin’s long term play. Osman, the 20 year old 2nd Round pick, could build his value very quickly in Europe. Much like Nikola Mirotic, Tiago Splitter and others, the Cavs hope they can reap the benefits in a could years. If he develops overseas, he would also become a good trade asset.
Core Players – The Cavs have young players, Kyrie, Love, Tristan, Shumpert and Mozgov, but none are likely to be traded in the near future.
Traded Player Exceptions (KJG hopes to have trade scenarios for you this weekend)
Brendan Haywood TPE – The Cavs traded Haywood’s contract to the Trail Blazers. They now have a year to use that TPE, of just over $10 million dollars, to try to acquire talent. The Cavs could acquire 1 player with a $10 million contract or 2 or 3 that add up to $10 million. This gives them a lot of flexibility.
The Cavs are most likely to find value around the trade deadline with this TPE. A recently signed player not working out on his new team or a team that thought they could compete and are not are the most likely trade partners. Taking a risk on a player with behavior, attitude or off the court issues also could make sense (See: Ty Lawson, J.R. Smith, Lance Stephenson trades).
Mike Miller TPE – In the same trade with the Blazers, the Cavs moved Mike Miller and got a much smaller TPE, $2.8 million. This helps Dan Gilbert’s Luxury Tax bill if the Cavs don’t add a player with it but it also gives them options. Just like the Haywood TPE, the Cavs can acquire a player with a contract of $2.8 million or less with this. They cannot combine the two TPEs for a much bigger one but they can choose to use both to acquire at least 2 players.
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Because of their limited resources, the Cavs are likely going to have to combine a few of them if they want to add some talent this year. Other teams will not be desperate to help the Cavs improve but cutting salary, or a cancerous player in the locker room, could put the Cavs in a position to add skill.
A trade of Osman and Haywood’s TPE could help acquire a player with a big contract and give their trade partner a long term prospect. The 2018 First Round pick could be included with the Miller TPE to bring in a young talent that just isn’t fitting in with his new team.
The Cavs have limited trade assets moving forward but could have just enough to add to the 2015-16 roster.
Are you surprised by how few trade-able assets the Cavs have?