The buyout market is heating up in the NBA and the Cleveland Cavaliers always seem to be apart of it. Corey Brewer is the newest name on the Cavs’ list of potential signings.
Corey Brewer secured a buyout from the Los Angeles Lakers just before March 1st, meaning he will indeed be playoff eligible once he signs with a new team. Brewer is drawing interest from many playoff-contending teams including the Oklahoma City Thunder, Milwaukee Bucks, Portland Trailblazers, and yes, the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Corey Brewer expected to take his time in deciding his next spot after his Lakers buyout, I’m told. Cavs, Wizards, Portland, Bucks have shown some interest already, but Corey wants a legit role.
— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) February 28, 2018
Corey Brewer this season is averaging just 3.7 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 0.7 assists in only 12.9 minutes per game. At the age of 31, Brewer is capable of playing both the guard and forward position.
While he’s not much of a three-point threat (career 28.0%), he can provide reliable scoring. For his career, he averages 8.8 points on 42.4% shooting. In addition to that, Brewer is an above-average defender who has averaged 1.2 steals over the span of his 11-year career.
It was inevitable that Brewer was going to eventually be bought-out from the Los Angeles Lakers. He simply didn’t fit their plans for the future, and hardly got any playing time.
Reports state that Brewer wants a “legit role” on a playoff contending team.
While it’s hard to see whose minutes Brewer would take on the Cavs roster, he could provide more depth at the small forward position, thus allowing LeBron James to tone down his minutes. In addition, while the city of Cleveland loves rookie Cedi Osman, we don’t exactly know how he’ll react to the intense atmosphere of the playoffs.
As of now, it’s reported that after the waiver has cleared that Brewer will be signing with the Thunder. Whether that’s because he wouldn’t have a role in Cleveland or just some other factor, Brewer won’t be in the Land anytime soon, it was interesting to see the mutual interest.
To be fair, even if added, Brewer’s role would be severely limited in Cleveland.
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Yes, various other teams can, in fact, sell Brewer on a more prominent role on their roster. However, not many teams can sell him on a potential trip to the NBA’s grandest stage.
If there’s any takeaway, it’s that Cleveland is still looking to gain additional help to their championship-caliber roster. Maybe signing Brewer doesn’t give the Cavaliers a tremendous amount of help but it certainly wouldn’t hurt.