Cavs: What kind of role would FA target Doug McDermott have?

The 2021 NBA Draft is right around the corner here and just over a week away, and while it could end up going differently in theory, it appears that the Cleveland Cavaliers could very well go with Evan Mobley at their #3 pick.

From there, it does seem as if Collin Sexton could potentially be traded near or during the draft, and for more on rumors/reports involving that, you can view those here and also here, the latter via KJG’s Zane Harris.

Even with the rumors though, and Sexton reportedly being “very available,” it would still seem as if Sexton could end up sticking around, at least for some of next season.

He’s a player on the rise, and the Cavs shouldn’t just deal him just to deal him, and I don’t think they necessarily will; perhaps Sexton could be dealt more so into next season, though. And we’ll see what plays out as the draft nears, as the New York Knicks, Golden State Warriors, New Orleans Pelicans, Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers are rumored suitors that seem the most legitimate.

Moving past the 2021 NBA Draft, I would be more than fine with Cleveland, whether or not Sexton ends up moved, pursuing rumored potential 2021 NBA Free Agency targets T.J. McConnell or Alex Caruso as backup point guard targets. That’s via some of the roughly $9 million non-taxpayer mid-level exception, in that sense. Perhaps Frank Ntilikina, assuming he ends up unrestricted, could be a player to look to via low-cost deal, too.

Or in terms of wings/perimeter shooting targets, I’d be on-board with other reported potential targets such as Doug McDermott, Reggie Bullock and/or Josh Hart. Hart, for context, reportedly wants a “fresh start;” we’ll see on his restricted free agency.

To that point though, here, we’ll focus in on McDermott.

Cleveland Cavaliers: What kind of role would McDermott have?

With McDermott, it’s no secret what his role would be, and if his addition would mean the Cavs would end up trading Taurean Prince or Cedi Osman, both of whom were previously mentioned in trade rumors, so be it.

McDermott would fill in in stretches at the 3 and 4 I’d think off the bench as a sparkplug catch-and-shoot player.

He has bounced around in his career, but the dude is a knockdown perimeter shooter that’s hit 40.7 percent lifetime from three-point range, and last season, he hit 38.8 percent from deep on 4.3 attempts per contest with the Indiana Pacers.

In 2020-21, he had a career-best 13.6 points in 24.5 minutes per outing as well, and the season prior, he had a respectable 10.3 points per game in 19.9 minutes per game. Then, he knocked in 43.5 percent of his 4.3 deep attempts per outing for Indy.

For his seven-year career, in 20.6 minutes per game, the Creighton product has had 9.0 points per game, albeit again has established himself as a polished catch-and-shoot player. And he’s not just a spot-up guy, as McDermott could make a big difference for Cleveland running off screens, firing come off handoffs from Larry Nance Jr./Jarrett Allen/Evan Mobley and via relocation.

While McDermott is not a dude that you’d rely on from an on-ball standpoint, his shooting abilities do also lead to him being able to counter that as an active cutter too, which could give the Cavs a spark off the bench feasibly some as well.

Anyway, even with McDermott not being a player that’s going to be a big help defensively, with his shooting capabilities, whether or not Sexton is traded, McDermott could be a key impact player for 20-23 minutes per game for Cleveland.

That’s factoring in how he could help open up the floor more for Darius Garland, Isaac Okoro and others, and when he’d be in there, the Cavs would know just what they’d be getting on most nights from the 29-year-old.

And if knockdown bench shooting from McDermott would potentially make Prince expendable and/or either of Osman or Dylan Windler perhaps, so be it.

So, while I’d imagine McDermott will end up having his share of suitors/could potentially re-sign with Indy, I’d be on-board with the Cavaliers possibly pursuing him in 2021 NBA Free Agency.