Cavs: 3 free agents to pursue after Lauri Markkanen signing

Cavs: 3 free agents to pursue after Lauri Markkanen signing – Paul Millsap

Jarrett Allen is a solid starting center, and he will need to be that and more after signing a five-year, $100 million contract to stay with the team this offseason. As with most centers, however, he is not going to average 36 minutes per game. His career-high mark, set last year, was 29.6 minutes per game.

That leaves 18 minutes a night to fill in behind him. The Cavs have a few options in-house, with Kevin Love a likely candidate to shift back to the position he manned during contending years. Evan Mobley is likely the starter at the 4, but he could get minutes at the 5. Lauri Markkanen is 7 feet tall even if he doesn’t do much defensively.

What none of these players provide is veteran defense, the sort of experiential knowledge and impact that the team lost when it traded Larry Nance Jr. in the Markkanen deal. Enter Paul Millsap, a 15-year veteran originally drafted in 2006.

The forward has developed himself from a role player to a primary offensive option to a strong, versatile defender. He provided elite defensive impact on the Denver Nuggets the past four seasons, helping to shore up beside and behind Nikola Jokic. In Cleveland he would likely move to the 5 full-time.

Millsap can also mentor the team’s young players, teaching his veteran tricks to Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. He knows what it is like to be on winning teams, and can impart that to the young core. Only Kevin Love can really offer that on the current team, and he doesn’t seem like the mentoring type while he is sulking through being on a rebuilding team.

There might still be a roster spot out there for Millsap, but at this point in the offseason it likely would have materialized. Barring an injury to a contender, taking a deal to fill a bench role and leadership position on a team like Cleveland could be an acceptable option for him.