The Cleveland Cavaliers can dream. An NBA offseason is a combination of blood, sweat and tears for front offices as they toil away, watching thousands of hours of film on hundreds of draft prospects, self-evaluating the players on the roster and working the phones with teams and agents to determine who is available to sign or trade.
Yet in the midst of the chaos, the toil and the uncertainty, the Cavs can still dream. They can put together a series of transactions that would result in not only an offseason well done, but impeccably well done, a home run of offseasons that sets this team up for success this year and beyond.
Constructing a perfect dream offseason for the Cavs where the draft, free agency and trades come together to launch them towards a bright future
Certainly, there is a “pipe dream” version of the offseason, where Dyson Daniels falls to 14 and Bradley Beal signs for the Mid-Level Exception. Instead, this will be a “realistic” dream offseason, the perfect series of moves within the realm of reason. The offseason certainly could turn out this way, and if it did the Cavs would be celebrating for a long time.
Let’s dig into it, starting with the draft and including activity for Collin Sexton, Caris LeVert and Darius Garland, on top of draft picks, trades, signings and finally a full depth chart at the end. Here is what the perfect dream offseason for the Cavs would look like.
Constructing the Cavs’ dream offseason: Draft AJ Griffin at 14
The 2022 NBA Draft is going to be chaotic and unpredictable, and that goes for the lottery as well. As many as 16 players can reasonably hope to go in the Top 10, which means a couple of very talented players will fall to the Cavs at 14. While they could certainly trade the pick to move up or down, most likely they will (and should) stay put and draft the best wing player available.
There is a growing chance that could be Duke’s AJ Griffin, due to concerns over his knees and that frequent injuries have sapped him permanently of some athleticism. That is obviously possible, and the Cavs would need to do their due diligence on his health, but what he does bring to the table is too tantalizing to pass up.
The Cavs desperately need a 3 and a sniper, preferably in the same package. Griffin can step in from Day 1 (whether or not he starts) and space the court like no other player on the roster other than Darius Garland can. He hit a whopping 48.3 percent of his 3-pointers last season and overall can score from anywhere on the court, with a deep bag of tricks in moving off-ball.
Griffin has a little bit of star upside, which is the frosting on taking Griffin. Even if he doesn’t ever reach that level, his combination of off-ball scoring skills, elite shooting and defensive potential make him both a perfect fit on a team that already has a couple of stars, and the most talented player they could hope to get at 14.
Constructing the Cavs’ dream offseason: Trade with 76ers for 23
The Cavs should have never done the Caris LeVert deal, full stop. It was a poor use of resources to chase a low-seed playoff berth by adding a one-way player who doesn’t actually meet any of this team’s needs. His on-ball creation and playmaking is nice, but it’s not good enough for the Cavs to want him taking those possessions away from players such as Darius Garland or Evan Mobley.
Rather than make the mistake of signing LeVert to a lucrative extension, they should instead seek a mea culpa on the LeVert trade and move on from him, hoping to acquire back something approximating the value of what they gave up.
The Philadelphia 76ers are reportedly shopping the 23rd pick, hoping to pair it with the non-guaranteed contract of Danny Green for a win-now upgrade. Here the Cavs pick up the phone and the two teams hash it out. In LeVert, the Sixers get a dynamic on-ball scorer and a player who will murder defenses trying desperately to stop Joel Embiid and James Harden from scoring 50.
The Cavs get a pair of wings in Danny Green and Furkan Korkmaz, to make the money work. Green would likely be waived, as it’s unclear when he will be back from his knee injury. They also receive that 23rd overall pick, and use it on Arizona wing Dalen Terry.
The 6’7″ Terry is a dynamic passing threat and playmaker, and his defense is high-level. He could play at either wing position and be an option to fill in at point guard as needed. Taking him at 14 is likely too rich, but hopping back in at 23 feels like the sweet spot.
Constructing the Cavs’ dream offseason: Draft Wendell Moore at 39; stash 58
The Cavs go into draft night with a pair of second-round picks, the 39th pick and the 56th pick that is being called 58 due to Miami and Chicago forfeiting picks (thanks NBA for making this confusing). The depth of this class means someone will be available at 39 who is likely a Top-30 guy on the Cavs’ board, and they should pounce on another rotation player with the selection.
Based on current mock drafts, let’s say that player is Wendell Moore; he is being mocked as high as 23 and as low as the mid-40s, so this seems very reasonable. Moore is 6’6″ with a 7’1″ wingspan, and while he played three years at Duke is still just 20 years old as one of the youngest players in his class.
Moore blossomed this past season into a do-it-all player on the wing, serving as the backup point guard and their best wing defender, able to take on point guards and power forwards. He isn’t going to be a dynamic on-ball scoring threat, but he doesn’t have any glaring weaknesses in his game. If his shot, which took a leap forward this season, can be a true weapon, then Moore will be a steal at a position of need for the Cavs at 39. His slide down the draft boards is somewhat inexplicable.
The draft absolutely thins out in the 40s, however, especially with many players turning down two-way contracts to try and hit unrestricted free agency and sign with the team of their choice. Given the Cavs may be facing something of a roster crunch depending on the rest of their offseason (and will in this example) drafting an international player they can “stash” overseas for another season or two seems like the wise move. Let’s say they go with Matteo Spagnolo, a combo guard from Italy who is just 19 years old.
Constructing the Cavs’ dream offseason: Sign Iverson Molinar, retain Moses Brown
Each NBA team has a pair of two-way contracts they can use to keep young players around the organization and occasionally play when the need arises. Some teams use these slots for older prospects who can pitch in when injuries strike; others use them as developmental slots to take a chance on boom-or-bust prospects.
The Cav should try to do both at the same time. Iverson Molinar is a point guard from Mississippi State who enters the NBA Draft as a 22 year-old, which hardly screams upside. Yet he is steady with the ball, with a high basketball IQ and a great track record of setting up his teammates with his passing. He scores inside very well, but isn’t much of a shooter. His slight frame will make him a target defensively.
Yet there is a chance he proves himself to be a steady backup point guard option, and on a two-way deal he can serve as the Cavs’ emergency option, as Brandon Goodwin did last season.
Moses Brown joined the team late in the season and saw some flashes of duty when Jarrett Allen was out due to injury. While the Cavs need to add a third center above him, Brown has one more season of eligibility left as a two-way player and the Cavs can keep him around to see if his rebounding can be joined by any other consistent skills.
Constructing the Cavs’ dream offseason: Sign Tyus Jones to full MLE
This has been one of the most popular rumors of the offseason for the Cavs, and for good reason. Signing Tyus Jones to the full Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception is an excellent value for that roster-building tool, and it addresses an area of need for this team while simultaneously raising the floor and the ceiling.
The team thrived with two point guards last season before Ricky Rubio went down, and Tyus Jones can fill that same role. He will play any minutes that Darius Garland doesn’t, giving the Cavs 48 minutes of above-average point guard play. When we ranked the top 30 point guards in the league Jones checked in at 25; with Garland as No. 10, the Cavs would have one of the best point guard rooms in the league.
Where the floor is raised is whenever Garland misses time; instead of desperately trying to keep the offense afloat with a combination of two-way players and aged veterans, the Cavs can instead rely on a player in his prime who absolutely excelled when Ja Morant missed time in Memphis. The ceiling goes up when you factor in Jones and Garland playing together, giving the offense two shooters and two shot creators to absolutely shred defenses.
Jones may be seeking a starting job elsewhere, but if he can’t find one the Cavs are offering starter-level minutes with a recent blueprint to prove what that looks like. On a loaded Memphis team he averaged just 21.2 minutes per game last season, while Ricky Rubio averaged 28.5 in Cleveland. There are plenty of reasons for Jones to join the Cavs, and if he did it would be the perfect match for all sides.
Constructing the Cavs’ dream offseason: Trade Sexton to Wizards
Adding Jones with the full Taxpayer MLE would mean the Cavs would be hard-capped, but more importantly it would push them up closer to a luxury tax line the organization will almost certainly try to avoid this season. It also communicates that the Cavs feel like their offense runs better with a player like Jones alongside Garland than a player like Sexton, given Sexton’s defensive weaknesses as well as his playmaking deficiencies.
Other teams around the league certainly value Sexton, however, on the back of his very strong scoring skills and relentless personality. The Washington Wizards are one team rumored to be interested in him, but would be hard-pressed to sign him to a lucrative offer sheet while still offering Bradley Beal the max. That opens the door to a sign-and-trade.
With this construction the Cavs bring back a solid wing in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope who recently won a title starting for the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020. Last season in Washington he hit 39 percent of his 3-pointers and plays solid defense. He’s a role player, but the kind of 3-and-D one that could absolutely start for the Cavs while they bring their rookies along.
Losing Sexton hurts; he is not the greatest fit with this roster and the financial cost of keeping him around is likely too much for this team to commit to, but he grew up with this team and genuinely seems to be loved by his teammates. At the end of the day NBA teams have to make tough decisions on players they like a lot; losing DeMar DeRozan, Monta Ellis, etc is hard but necessary to put together a contender.
Constructing the Cavs’ dream offseason: Max extension for Darius Garland
There are every year young players entering their fourth season who are no-brainer max extension candidates, the kind who are offered that max contract the second league rules allow. Last season Luka Doncic and Trae Young fell cleanly into that category, players who had already proven themselves at an All-NBA level. This offseason Zion Williamson and Ja Morant fall into that category.
The next category is a trickier one. These are players who have already proven they are star-level talents, but who aren’t no-brainer superstars. Does a team offer the full max, or do they try to negotiate something a little more team-friendly since they are giving a player that security a year early?
Last season Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Michael Porter Jr. both fell into this camp; they both ended up with maximum rookie extensions. DeAndre Ayton did too and when Phoenix wouldn’t offer the max talks stalled out. Jaren Jackson Jr. signed a less lucrative deal due to his injury issues, and players such as Collin Sexton and Miles Bridges chose to bet on themselves this year heading into free agency. That worked for Bridges, and unfortunately did not for Sexton.
This summer Darius Garland falls into that second group, a player who has already made an All-Star team but hasn’t necessarily demonstrated he is a true superstar. Do the Cavs think they need another season before deciding he is a no-brainer max player? Does that insult Garland and start to damage their relationship?
Garland has been incredible growing into a star player, an on-ball creator who can score inside, outside and hit his teammates with passing skills that improve their likelihood of scoring. He has some defensive limitations, but he’s better than someone like Trae Young and plays the position least impacted by poor defense.
The Cavs should offer the full maximum, although without a player option and with modest kickers for making All-NBA. That seems a reasonable concession from Garland for the early security but still provides him the label of being a max player. The Cavs are preparing to go “all-in” on Garland as their offensive centerpiece, and they should back that up with the contract offer now.
Constructing the Cavs’ dream offseason: Complete roster with Robin Lopez
As the offseason movement comes to a close, there is one final roster spot to address. The Cavs could elect to not waive Danny Green in this scenario, to keep him around as something of a veteran mentor while he rehabs from his injury, but the final games of last season show how important it is for this team to have center depth.
By waiving Green and signing Robin Lopez, the Cavs still gain a veteran presence and one who can teach some “tricks of the trade” to Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley. Lopez is a jovial spirit and a reliable vet, the kind of player who will fill his role rebounding and playing stout defense no matter how many minutes per game he is playing. His from-the-floor hook shot is still lethal and nigh unblockable.
At this point in his career, Lopez would likely be amenable to a minimum deal, and with the Orlando Magic adding another big with the No. 1 pick he’s unlikely to be able to stick around near his home on Disney property. Perhaps living somewhat close to his twin brother Brook in Milwaukee will suffice.
The Cavs could go a few different ways with this final spot, from a 1+1 at the Bi-Annual Exception for Ricky Rubio to rehab in Cleveland, to another veteran wing to add to depth on the wing. A third center seems the most likely path, but someone like Lopez who can offer more when called upon than Ed Davis was able to last season.
Constructing the Cavs’ dream offseason: Final Depth Chart
PG: Darius Garland, Tyus Jones [Iverson Molinar two-way]
SG: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Isaac Okoro, Dalen Terry, Furkan Korkmaz
SF: Lauri Markkanen, AJ Griffin, Wendell Moore
PF: Evan Mobley, Dean Wade, Lamar Stevens
C: Jarrett Allen, Kevin Love, Robin Lopez [Moses Brown]
This dream offseason would see the Cavs with depth at every position and plenty of young talent ready to rise up into place as well. Point guard is arguable the strongest position, with Garland in line for a repeat All-Star season and Jones probably the best backup in the league. He’ll be in line for plenty of minutes at the 2 alongside Garland as well. If one of Garland or Jones are out, the Cavs have Molinar and the secondary creation skills of Terry and Moore to step in.
Shooting guard is flush once again, but this time with more two-way players. “KCP” is a solid starter for at least this year while the Cavs evaluate whether Okoro will take a leap forward, and one of Terry, Griffin or Moore could pop and earn a starting role. At the 3 Markkanen starts the year in the starting lineup, but could eventually move into another high-minute bench role if Love gets hurt or is moved, clearing the way for Griffin or a steadier hand in Dean Wade.
The bigs continue to be a point of strength, even with Markkanen on the 3 line. Wade and Stevens are strong defenders able to be deployed as needed, and Wade in particular deserves a regular rotation role if the Cavs can find one for him. Evan Mobley will likely take another step forward given how incredible his talent and skill level is, while Jarrett Allen will try to get onto an All-Defense team as well. Love and Lopez give very different looks at backup center and are the veteran voices for this squad.
This dream offseason is not a fantasy, but a realistic scenario if things break right for the Cavs. They would have a strong, deep team ready to compete this season, but with a mountain of upside to become contenders in the Eastern Conference in the not-so-distant future.