Cleveland Cavaliers need to learn from mistakes of the past in upcoming free agency
The Cleveland Cavaliers, as an organization, have their fair share of regrettable offseason decisions. This free agency they must learn from those.
After winning the title in 2016, the Cleveland Cavaliers went on a shopping spree. They re-signed both Tristan Thompson and JR Smith to enormous deals, crippling the team’s future flexibility. Even this past offseason, they signed Kyle Korver for a 3-year/$18 million deal.
These three contracts, in their own special way, were mistakes. And, this summer, they virtually need a quintessential few months in order to continue retaining LeBron James and all the young talent they collected this season.
Their offseason fireworks will kick off on June 21, 2018, just a few weeks before the beginning of free agency.
For Altman and his staff, it’ll be virtually impossible to immediately mess up the expected lottery pick they received from the Boston Celtics in the Kyrie Irving blockbuster trade. So, while the recruiting will start long before even then, this will be the notable start of the offseason for Cleveland and many other teams.
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However, for the next few seasons, the Cavs must focus on free agency. At the end of this season, they’ll have nine players guaranteed for next year, three of which were acquired the day of the trade deadline. Returning this many players has been a rarity for Cleveland over the last few seasons, and it should make Altman’s job significantly easier.
Altman will have one job. Learn from the David Griffin’s mistakes during the 2016 offseason and do not repeat those. Griffin signed JR Smith to a 4-year/$57 million deal which easily seems like one of the Eastern Conference’s most ludicrous contracts. Teammate Tristan Thompson and his 2016 contract might top that though. Griffin gave Thompson a 5-year/$82 million deal that same offseason.
The team is still reaping the decisions of Griffin, however, Altman will have tough free agency decisions to make.
Altman will not have the money to go on a spending spree like that this time around. For Koby, his main decision will be centered around Rodney Hood, the Cavs recent 25-year addition from Utah.
He has a qualifying offer for his last season, which will make him a restricted free agent. How much is Hood worth and how much is surrounding the aging LeBron with a capable bench going to mean to Altman. Hood has the potential to be a solid guard in the NBA, but giving Hood a cap-crippling contract will not be the best move for the short-term future in Cleveland.
Following this season, the Cavaliers might also need to unload George Hill’s contract in order to bring in additional help for LeBron. Hill, who is set to make $19 million, will be against any type of buyout, and it might be up to Altman to find a deal to help Cleveland bring in the needed talent to keep them relevant.
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What it boils down to is Koby Altman, who is still considered a rookie general manager, will have his hands full, and if he looks to his predecessors to see what he shouldn’t do, it’s more likely than not that he’ll do a terrific job this offseason.