Suggested FA target Josh Jackson could find rebirth with Cavs

Suggested free agent target Josh Jackson could fit really well with the Cleveland Cavaliers next season.

It’s clear that the Cleveland Cavaliers are not going to be swinging for the fences in the upcoming free agency period. Given how the novel coronavirus pandemic has impacted the NBA’s 2019-20 season, it also seems that the salary cap could further decrease for 2020-21.

Cleveland has not historically been a sought-out free agency destination, either. Plus, with teams around the NBA looking to keep their cap space for a loaded 2021 free agency class, too, the upcoming one won’t produce tons of fireworks. That won’t likely pertain to the Cavs, anyhow, and especially with Andre Drummond reportedly likely to pick up his $28.8 million player option.

More from King James Gospel

• 3 possible starting lineups for Cleveland Cavaliers in 2023-24
• The Cavaliers may have snagged a hidden gem in Craig Porter Jr.
• 4 players the Cavaliers should pursue in 2024 free agency
• 6 players Cavaliers might replace Jarrett Allen with by the trade deadline
• This stat is one to keep an eye on for Cavaliers’ Max Strus in years ahead

When on the topic, though, what could we perhaps see for the Cavaliers in 2020 free agency, then?

The club could reportedly throw their hat in the ring for Miami Heat wing Derrick Jones Jr., maybe via the full mid-level exception, per The Athletic‘s John Hollinger in a conversation with The Athletic‘s Kelsey Russo (subscription required).

That MLE is set to likely be in the ball park of $8-9 million, though it could reportedly end up being less, per Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor, who also highlighted Jones previously as a possible target for the Cavs last month.

As Hollinger essentially emphasized, however, it’s another story for Cleveland to actually land Jones, who is set to be an unrestricted free agent, even with a full MLE offer.

So who could be another target for Cleveland in 2020 free agency then? Fedor in that aforementioned piece mentioned wing Josh Jackson, who is set to be unrestricted as well, and not with that full MLE offer.

Fedor said, while also mentioning Michael Carter-Williams, Maurice Harkless and Harry Giles in the same realm, that Jackson or those other three could be targeted with a “more favorable price tag.”

That’s seemingly if Jones couldn’t be acquired.

Jackson could fit very well next season, and find a career rebirth with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Jackson is a player that has seemed to turn himself around mentally since being traded by the Phoenix Suns to the Memphis Grizzlies. Jackson, who was previously arrested and charged with a felony for escaping and a misdemeanor for resisting arrest at the Rolling Loud music festival in 2019 in Florida, then per Daune Rankin of the Arizona Republic, is seemingly in a better place.

That’s according to former Suns general manager Ryan McDonough on a Thursday appearance on 92.3 The Fan’s “Baskin and Phelps,” as was h/t Sam Amico of Sports Illustrated.

Amico also detailed via the above article link, how the 6-foot-8 and very athletic Jackson would seem to be a quality 3 man target for the Cleveland Cavaliers, even while his career has fizzled out to this point. Amico even touched on how Jackson was said to be seemingly untouchable in trade talks between the Cavs and Suns in 2017.

"“How much did the Suns like Jackson? Well, they refused to include him in trade talks with the Cavs that were centered on Kyrie Irving. That was back in August 2017, shortly after Jackson got drafted. No one beyond Cavs GM Koby Altman and former Suns GM Ryan McDonough really knows how close the teams got to a deal. All we really know is Irving was eventually traded to the Celtics and the Suns kept Jackson.”"

Jackson again did not ultimately have his situation work out with the Suns, but as Amico noted, he did still put up decent numbers, albeit on a rebuilding team.

Though Jackson had primarily been playing with the Memphis Hustle, the Grizzlies’ G League affiliate team pre-league suspension, where he played well, he was effective as a rotational contributor for the Grizzlies at least when given chances, too.

Jackson has been a nice rotational option this season with the Grizz, and the Cleveland Cavaliers need to see his upward trajectory

To quickly look at Jackson’s G-League production, he lit it up with the Hustle, which seemed to show he’s locked-in. He put up 20.4 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.5 blocks per game in 26 appearances there, per Basketball Reference’s G-League’s statistics.

That played right into Jackson finally getting a chance with the Grizzlies, who could very well end up being a postseason team in the league’s season resumption in Orlando. I know it’s been just 18 appearances, but Jackson has put up a respectable 10.4 points and 3.2 rebounds in 19.8 minutes per contest with the Grizz.

So while Jackson could maybe be a player Memphis looks to re-sign in this upcoming fall’s free agency period, it wouldn’t hurt for the Cavaliers to give him a chance at starting 3 minutes again. That’s seemingly via team-friendly deal of maybe the one-year, prove-it variety, based on Fedor’s comments.

Jackson, as Amico alluded to, was previously a top four pick by Phoenix, and Cedi Osman is realistically not a player that should be starting at the 3 long term, and not much into 2020-21. That’s even with him showing considerable improvement as a three-point shooter in 2019-20, hitting 38.3 percent of his three-point attempts.

Jackson could be a legitimate starting 3 option for the Cleveland Cavaliers, and find rebirth with them

Jackson, who could find rebirth on the Cavs, is a gifted athlete on the wing and can create his own offense off-the-bounce more consistently than Osman, who has trouble getting separation on-ball outside of some straight-line drives after hard closeouts.

Jackson has explosive first step quickness, has shown improvement as a cutter thus far with the Grizz, and while he has only hit 31.9 percent of his deep ball attempts in the 18 games, in his last 11 games, Jackson hit 37.0 percent from downtown on 4.9 attempts per outing. He hit 38.2 percent of his deep ball attempts with the Hustle in 2019-20, too.

He had 13.3 points, 2.3 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.7 blocks per contest in that last 11-game span with the Grizz, too, which provided a key spark and helped them consistently get out and run, and Jackson himself excels in that aspect of the game.

Jackson’s high-flying ability on the break after outlet passes from Kevin Love and/or Larry Nance Jr., also flanked with Kevin Porter Jr. and Collin Sexton, with Darius Garland and at times Cedi Osman/Dylan Windler as trailing shooters would be quite a well-layered attack in secondary transition, for example, in 2020-21.

Also factoring in how Jackson could fit in some lineups with Windler (if he’s healthy) at the 2 and/or Osman with Porter/Garland at the controls in settled offense, with Nance/Love, too, could lead to plenty of options for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Let’s not discount how Jackson, who has shown the propensity to get in passing lanes, is an alert defender as a stunter, and he has flashed encouraging defensive potential on-ball on the wing with the requisite lateral quickness needed to mirror opposing 3’s/deter drives.

Jackson, who could find rebirth with the Cavs next season, would be a quality add, if the Cavs were able to land him in the upcoming free agency period by giving him seemingly a prove-it opportunity. A key selling point in that realm would be potential starting minutes-share.

His addition would be even more of a quality one if Cleveland elected to go with a guard, such as LaMelo Ball of the NBL’s Illawarra Hawks, or a big, such as USC’s Onyeka Okongwu, in the 2020 NBA Draft. Maybe if Jackson shines next season, he could establish himself as the Cavs’ starting 3, too.