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.
The Cavs’ Free Agent Wishlist: JaVale McGee
Another former Cavalier, JaVale McGee would definitely be a sufficient backup center for the roster. Even though the roster is filled with tall players, the Cavs allow one of the most offensive rebounds per game this season. McGee is a good rim protector and has a keen sense for rebounds, averaging more than 1 block and 6.7 boards off the bench, only averaging a bit over 15 minutes per game. McGee would only warrant somewhere between a minimum contract to about five million dollars for one year. For Phoenix this year, McGee has been a very good backup center, even though sharing minutes with Bismack Biyombo as their big men off the bench. His lack of shooting can hurt the offense, however, as even taking a mid-range jump shot is questionable for McGee.
The Cavs’ Free Agent Wishlist: Dennis Schröder
Another thing the Cavaliers really need is bench scoring. This past regular season, the Cavaliers ranked 19th in average bench scoring per game, according to StatMuse. Dennis Schröder has always been known as a spark-plug coming off the bench, as during one of his seasons he was a frontrunner for Sixth Man of the Year, eventually losing out to Montrezl Harrell.
The German guard could definitely warrant a mid-level exception offer from any team, maybe even more considering his ability to score. Playmaking is definitely not a weakness of his either, averaging almost 5 assists for his career, which is solid enough for a combo guard. Defense, however, is not his best ability. His defensive rating is 111.0, which is about league average.
J. B. Bickerstaff is known as a defense-oriented coach, and the Cavaliers have ranked top 10 all season in points allowed per game, so even with Schröder on the floor, the Cavaliers as a whole should not be a defensive liability.
The Cavs’ Free Agent Wishlist: Collin Sexton
Obviously, Collin Sexton is probably the best option for the Cavaliers to re-sign this offseason. Either coming off the bench or even starting, Sexton has a valuable impact on this roster on the offensive end. Collin Sexton can provide instant offense to whatever lineup he is in, and not re-signing him could be detrimental.
However, even with his offensive skills, his playmaking skills for a shooting guard aren’t as good as I would like. Sometimes it seems like he has tunnel vision, and sometimes it seems like he takes shots just to take shots. His contract demands also are a lot to handle, as he wants about 20 million dollars a year, which is a lot of money for a player who might be, at best, a 6th man of the year winner.
According to Chris Fedor, he says that Sexton wants north of 100 million, which is a really big commitment to a player of his quality. For example, Jarrett Allen was paid 100 million over the course of 5 years, so 20 million per year. Collin Sexton wants more than that, and he deserves a good portion of that contract, but I’m not sure who will give it to him.
For this offseason, there will definitely be some veterans who would want to play for this up-and-coming team and be a part of this amazing core. Realistically, the Cavs have a mid-level exception to give out to a player and maybe even some minimum contracts we can give to veterans. As of now, the Cavaliers should be able to compete at a high level next year, hoping we do not get plagued with injuries like we have been this year.