Top Five Cavs Free Agent Signings Of The Gund/Q Era

Dec 23, 2013; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Andrew Bynum reacts in the second quarter against the Detroit Pistons at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

#4. Andrew Bynum, C, 2013

Stats with Cavs: 8.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.2 blocks, 14.8 PER, 24 games

From one player who never stepped foot on Quicken Loans Arena to another who was banished from it, we now come to Mr. Kingpin himself, Bynum.

When the Cavs announced the signing of Bynum, it marked the first big name to voluntarily come to Cleveland in free agency since, well, perhaps the inception of free agency.

Don’t act like you weren’t giddy when you heard the news. We all were. Bynum and Irving was set to become the NBA’s next great duo. Earl Clark was going to become the answer at small forward, Jarrett Jack the veteran mentor and the Cavaliers should have begun printing playoff tickets ASAP.

Sadly, none of the new additions lasted more than a season in Cleveland, with Bynum eventually being suspended from the team and shipped to the Chicago Bulls.

What lands his signing on this list is the structure of the contract. While Bynum could have made as much as $24 million over two seasons, Grant used a clause to cut the oft-injured center halfway through the year for just $6 million.

The Bulls, eager to shed salary, gave up highly-respected small forward Luol Deng for Bynum and draft selections. Cleveland turned one of the worst locker room players in the league into one of the best for the remainder of the season, thanks to the structure of Bynum’s deal.

Next: #3 Was a Hughes Signing