The Cavs’ Free Agent wishlist for the 2022 offseason

With all of Cleveland’s eyes focused on the play-in game, the success of this season, and the rising stars on their roster, there are a few things that we are forgetting about. This offseason is incredibly important for the future of the Cleveland Cavaliers organization. With the draft, free agency, and more around the corner after these playoffs, the Cavs have a lot on their plate when it comes to this offseason.

For this article, I will focus on a few select players that the Cavaliers can realistically add to their roster this summer. There are a few things that they need to improve on the roster, such as our 3-point shooting, bench scoring, bench playmaking, and more. I go through the positives and negatives for a few players that can come to Cleveland this summer.

The Cavs’ Free Agent Wishlist: Ricky Rubio

The Cleveland Cavaliers and their fans are very familiar with this Spanish player, as not too long ago Ricky Rubio was in consideration for Sixth Man of the Year on this very team. Sadly, an ACL injury in December ended his season and hurt the Cavs’ playoff chances, as at the time Cleveland was a very solid contender with a dominant point differential. However, looking at what the Cavaliers need right now from a roster standpoint, bench playmaking should definitely be a priority during free agency. Rubio was definitely one of the best bench playmakers this season, as he averaged a little over 6.5 assists even while only playing28.5 minutes per night on average.

One thing the Cavs would have to worry about is his efficiency. During Rubio’s whole career he has never shot over 42% from the field or above 37% from 3-point territory. However, his solid defense and stellar playmaking coming off the bench would really suit what the Cavaliers have on this roster. I could see Rubio warranting a bit over the mid-level exception, but considering his recent injury, I’d not be surprised if teams that would have been interested decide not to make a huge financial commitment to him.

If he would return to Cleveland, I could see him being our bench playmaker for this team. When Darius Garland needs a rest the team could put in Rubio to keep the offense flowing. The Cavs could also run lineups with both point guards on the court, something the team did to great success this year. According to basketballreference.com, Ricky Rubio has played about 53% of his minutes this season as a two-guard, rather than at the point.