3 reasons why Cavs should sign Alfonzo McKinnie with 14th roster spot

The Cleveland Cavaliers need depth at the small forward position, and a recent report suggested that they could be a landing spot for former Golden State Warriors wing Alfonzo McKinnie, and that’d be a smart move by Cleveland to sign him with their 14th roster spot.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have a ton of natural guards, those being 1’s and 2’s, currently on their roster in Collin Sexton, Darius Garland, Jordan Clarkson, Matthew Dellavedova and Brandon Knight.

Along with that, even with Ante Zizic reportedly being out for about a month with a plantar fasciitis injury in his left foot (per the team), Cleveland has plenty of bigs going into the 2019-20 season in star Kevin Love, to go with Tristan Thompson, Larry Nance Jr. and John Henson, and at least at the season’s outset, they have a two-way big in Dean Wade, too.

Additionally, as The Athletic‘s Kelsey Russo first reported, the Cavaliers claimed former Denver Nuggets undrafted power forward Tyler Cook off waivers on Friday, who was on a two-way deal, and for now, Cook, who averaged 14.5 points as mostly an interior scorer, and 7.6 rebounds per game for Iowa last season (per Sports Reference) will be the other Cleveland two-way player heading into the season.

However, I’m not certain Cleveland won’t end up just going with training camp invitee big Marques Bolden ultimately with that other two-way signing, based on this report from Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor.

That being said, whether or not Cleveland does indeed go with Cook as their other two-way after that 5 p.m. time tomorrow or goes with Bolden, who was tied for the team lead the team in blocks this preseason (per NBA.com), those players likely wouldn’t have a really significant role at the season’s outset, but anyway, when it comes to natural small forwards, though, Cleveland doesn’t have much depth. Fedor would ultimately say the likely outcome for the team’s 14th roster spot is it going to training camp invitee big Jarell Martin, but I’d rather Cleveland go with a small forward.

Cleveland really only has starter Cedi Osman, and rookie Kevin Porter Jr. could seemingly play a fair amount in that spot, too, and I would think earlier in the season now, with rookie Dylan Windler, a more natural fit there, reportedly out for a bit to start the season due to a reported stress reaction in his lower left leg.

Realistically, though, with the Cavaliers’ 14th roster spot heading into the season, factoring in whether or not Bolden or Cook ultimately, both interior players, are in fact the team’s other two-way, I think a smart move for Cleveland would be going with a natural small forward.

A realistic target would be former Golden State Warriors small forward Alfonzo McKinnie, who was waived by the Warriors on Friday, as Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported.

I bring this up because McKinnie was suggested as a logical signing for the Cleveland Cavaliers, who have been “eyeing” wings, according to Fedor (and h/t Cavaliers Nation’s Brad Sullivan), and I’d imagine players more suited to play predominantly small forward, really, which is not Cook.

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The 6-foot-8 McKinnie did that 71% of the time in his last year with Golden State, which was really his first NBA season; he only appeared in 14 games with the Toronto Raptors in 2017-18 and played just 53 minutes (per Basketball Reference) and was released during the 2018 offseason.

McKinnie, who signed an Exhibit 10 deal before last year’s training camp, then made quite an impression during the 2018 preseason, though, and as NBC Sports Bay Area’s Logan Murdock noted, earned himself a roster spot, and contributed in plenty of meaningful minutes last season, and even during the postseason for the Warriors.

McKinnie had 4.7 points and 3.4 rebounds in 13.9 minutes per game in 2018-19 (per Basketball Reference), but he contributed beyond that, while getting his share of deflections and hustle plays when he was on the floor, and could be a nice signing for Cleveland, with the third reason being that he’d probably be able to be added via minimum contract.

#3: McKinnie would be a cheap signing

Given that the Cleveland Cavaliers are limited, really, with what they’ll be able to do as far as their 14th rostered player heading into the year, I’d think McKinnie, who has only really played just over one NBA season, would be able to be added on a minimum deal, which is what Fedor himself and others have suggested the Cavs would do with their 14th player heading into the 2019-20 season, anyway.

McKinnie, whose contract prior to Golden State waiving him was not set to be guaranteed until Jan. 10, and it was for a bit under just $1.6 million, h/t Murdock. So with that being the case and his production not flying off the TV screen, I’d think Cleveland could be a viable landing spot for McKinnie.

Granted, that’s not a knock on McKinnie, though, and as the aforementioned Sullivan hit on, if McKinnie were to be playing for the rebuilding Cavaliers this year, it’s not unreasonable to think that his minutes-share and perhaps, production, could increase.

Now to the next reason to me why he’d be a quality signing.