3 things suggested free agency target Josh Jackson could bring to Cavs

The Cleveland Cavaliers will have an opportunity to strike big this offseason. With the draft lottery fast approaching, the Cavaliers will soon find out who and when they will be picking in this year’s NBA Draft. After the draft, the Cavaliers will also have some big decisions to make come free agency.

The Cavaliers’ biggest free agents this year are Tristan Thompson and Matthew Dellavedova, two fan favorites and two veterans who have had big impacts on the Cavaliers’ success over the last several years.

During this upcoming free agency period, the Cavaliers will also have an opportunity to add talent, preferably young talent, with their mid-level exception, which could be in the $8-9 million range, per Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor. There will be plenty of options for the Cavs to choose from but, one that catches the eye is Josh Jackson, who was initially suggested as a free agency target for Cleveland by Fedor in that aforementioned report.

Jackson has had a rough start to his career. Drafted with the fourth overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, Jackson was expected to be the next great forward for the Phoenix Suns. Instead, he dealt with inconsistency and maturity issues, of which KJG’s Mason Cole hit on those reported details involving Jackson off the floor, and those led to the Suns trading him to the Memphis Grizzlies.

This trade gave Josh Jackson a fresh start and he has taken full advantage of this opportunity. Jackson spent most of the season in the G-League, with the Memphis Hustle, the Grizzlies G-League affiliate.

In the G-League, Jackson would put up 20.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.3 steals, and shot 44.7 percent from the floor and 38.0 percent from three-point range.

Most importantly, Jackson has seemed to mature during his time with the Hustle, using his time there as a humbling experience. Suns former general manager Ryan McDonough emphasized that in a talk show appearance last month on 92.3 The Fan’s “Baskin and Phelps,” as h/t Sports Illustrated‘s Sam Amico, too. McDonough believes the Cavs will target Jackson, also.

Jackson would be called up and play his first game with the Grizzlies on January 29th, and in 18 games played so far with the Grizzlies, he has averaged 10.4 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. Jackson’s season has been promising and from that, he has garnered high praise from the coaching staff of the Grizzlies.

Seeing as the Cavs are in desperate need of someone with length and defensive potential, Jackson could be a seamless fit and he should be a target for the Cavaliers in this upcoming free agency period. Fedor thinks Jackson could be had for less than the MLE, too, for a potential team, such as the Cavs, in this case.

With all of that being said, here, we’ll look at three things that Jackson could bring to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Now, we’ll get right into that.