3 summer free agents for Cavs to watch down the stretch

3 summer free agents for Cavs to watch: Robert Covington

Some players bounce around the league as perennially underrated contributors, while others seem to generate more buzz (and trade returns) than their on-court production warrants. Somehow Robert Covington has been both of those things over the course of his career, first as a sneaky-good 3-and-D combo forward and then as the highly-coveted player who was supposed to fix the defensive woes of whatever team dealt for him.

As the pendulum has swung back and forth, Covington’s actual strengths and weaknesses seem more clear. On defense, he is a tremendous team defender, mucking-up passing lanes and rotating brilliantly to the rim as a weakside shot blocker. He is not a “stopper” against the very best wing scorers, or at least not without ample support around him in the lineup.

Now playing for the LA Clippers, Covington is shooting 40.3 percent from 3-point range while averaging 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks, all in just 21.7 minutes per game. The Clippers’ payroll for next season is already astronomical, and it’s reasonable that Covington could find a new home rather than stay in the deep wing rotation in Los Angeles.

If so, the Cavs could be an option to sign him using the midlevel exception (or potentially cap space, although that avenue is less likely after the Caris LeVert trade). He could either start at the 3 or be the first forward off the bench, providing another elite defensive cog while spacing the floor on offense. In essence, he would be an upgrade on what Lamar Stevens has given this team.

Combo forwards who can defend and space the floor are always in demand, yet if Covington slips through the free agent cracks just a little he could nestle perfectly into the Cavs’ price range.