Cleveland Cavaliers: Constructing the dream offseason

Players who will leave the Cleveland Cavaliers in free agency

It is unclear whether to view this fact as a positive or a negative, but the Cleveland Cavaliers do not have many significant free agents this offseason. Eight players are locked into guaranteed contracts for next season, and that bumps up to nine if you include the third overall pick.

Matthew Dellavedova is a longtime Cavaliers fan favorite who has already announced he is “leaving” in free agency to return to his home league in Australia to play in the NBL. In the offseason we are laying out, a handful of other players are not retained: Anderson Varejao, Damyean Dotson and Lamar Stevens.

Varejao has absolutely had his moments for this franchise, but nostalgic veterans are not the way to use roster spots as the Cavaliers churn for hidden gems. Similarly Lamar Stevens has had a much shorter career in the league than Varejao, but even if he “hits” it will be as a low-ceiling power forward with a limited offensive game.

Damyean Dotson can shoot, a valuable skill, but he is already 27 and hasn’t been able to put things together in his career. Finally, the team should cut ties with both of their two-way players from last season, Jeremiah Martin and Brodric Thomas, and use them on undrafted free agents in the upcoming draft class.