3 playoff heroes who easily could have been on the Cavs

The Cleveland Cavaliers are not in the playoffs this season, so they are watching the heroics of the league’s stars from home. That’s not a major disappointment, given where the team started from this year, but it’s absolutely where they want to be, now and moving forward.

The players who drove the Cavs to the edge of the playoffs this season are generally young rising stars, and they are critical to this team’s long-term success. Yet it’s also not crazy to think that with a few different decisions their team could be stocked even further with players who are right now balling out in the postseason.

Every NBA team has a series of what-ifs, and the Cavs are no exception. Which playoff heroes from this season could easily have been on the Cavs?

Every team can look back at their drafts, signings and trades and see opportunities to improve. This is not an indictment of the Cavs, who have drafted a number of talented players over the past few years, including players like Darius Garland and Evan Mobley who are the foundation for all that is to come.

Yet these three players who have been playoff heroes this season could have easily been on the Cavs. How did the Cavs miss out on them, and how would the team be different if these players were wearing wine and gold right now?