Cavs: Two key takeaways from re-signing Matthew Dellavedova

The Cleveland Cavaliers re-signing Matthew Dellavedova was a smart move.

While several NBA teams shelled out big-money contracts over the past few days, albeit plenty being from extensions, the Cleveland Cavaliers took a different approach to free agency.

After Andre Drummond picked up his $28.7 million player option, the Cavaliers were quite strapped for cash. With limited options, the Cavaliers made a rather smart move in one of their few free agency moves.

The Cavs brought back veteran point guard and fan favorite Matthew Dellavedova on a one-year, veteran minimum contract. That’s set to be for $2.1 million (assuming the details were eventually finalized), based on a report from Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor

On the surface, this move may not get fans all that excited, but if you take a minute to dissect the move, it is one that benefits the Cavaliers even beyond this season.

This leads to takeaway number one: Dellavedova will provide veteran leadership to a relatively young team.

#1: Dellavedova’s leadership will help the Cavs

Delladevdova was in Cleveland during those NBA Finals years and learned from many great basketball minds, including LeBron James. He can use all that wisdom he learned and play a vital role for the younger players behind the scenes.

He’ll help the development of guards Collin Sexton and Darius Garland. Dellavedova made a name for himself in this league by working hard and outworking everyone.

While no one, even Dellavedova, would argue both Sexton and Garland are more talented, instilling a work ethic in them similar to Delly would be beneficial. Playing with Delly seems to already have paid off a bit for Sexton, as he appears to be working his tail off during the offseason, and his commitment to the game is so rare.

Delly only averaged 3.1 points and 3.2 assists in 14.4 minutes per game in 2019-20, albeit he did have a healthy assist rate of 29.7 percent in his minutes-share. But what does not show up in the box score, realistically, is what Delly can provide off the court to those younger players, as KJG’s Tyler Shelt also demonstrated.

Having someone on the floor who has been through several high-pressure situations will definitely help by having him on the court and just providing input in those late-game scenarios.

Players can have all the talent in the world, but nothing can replicate the in-game experience, and that is what the Cavaliers young core needs. Getting veteran leadership at a minimal cost will benefit this Cavaliers roster.

The second key takeaway from the Dellavedova signing is that the Cavaliers realize there is still work to be done and won’t rush a rebuild with a short-term solution.

#2: The Cavs are limited and are prioritizing player development

When money starts flying in free agency, some will ultimately overreact and wonder why the Cavaliers are not making moves.

The simple answer is that they were limited heading into free agency with Drummond, as was expected, picking up his player option for next season. But by going with a low-risk signing in bringing back Delly, it shows me that they are sticking to this rebuilding plan/prioritizing player development.

Sure, you could go the Charlotte Hornets’ route and overpay for an underachieving player like Gordon Hayward (four years, $120 million…yikes), but that is not the plan Cavs general manager Koby Altman and company are going to utilize.

Bringing back Delly will keep team chemistry more intact, and allow the veteran point guard to help the younger players both on and off the floor.

While improved, Cleveland still has holes to fill on their roster and are not legitimately ready to compete for a playoff spot, and even really making a run for the NBA’s play-in tournament, featuring the 7-10 seeds in each conference. So why try to rush your plan? Take your lickings for another year and let your core continue to develop and adding a key veteran in Delly will help that process.

Also forgotten is that Delly is still a capable backup point guard. While scoring has never been his forte, Delly is excellent at throwing that high lob near the hoop operating out of the pick-and-roll.

Even though Tristan Thompson is no longer in Cleveland, Andre Drummond is a big target in the paint, and I expect several Delly dimes to Drummond of that variety this season. And backup 5 JaVale McGee is a more than capable roller/lob threat in those instances, too, to go with Larry Nance Jr. still.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I am sure the Cavaliers fan base will be thankful for having a fan-favorite back in town. Delly won the Cleveland faithful over with his hard work and relentless motor on the floor by him instilling the attitude in the younger players that will get the fans excited for the future of the Wine and Gold.

While the Cavaliers may not see much of an increase in the win column this season, Dellavedova’s re-signing will be beneficial for the Cavaliers both as a player and mentor.

Delly embodies the city of Cleveland. He’s tough, hard-nosed and blue-collar, and adding him back to the team was a smart move by Altman.