3 moves for the Cavs now that the 2022 NBA Draft is over

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Delon Wright, Atlanta Hawks. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images) /

3 moves for Cavs now that the Draft is over: Sign backup PG

Darius Garland is the starting point guard for the Cleveland Cavaliers, and after an All-Star campaign is entrenched for now and the foreseeable future (more on that in a moment). Yet the Cavs don’t currently have an established player behind him, which means a stagnant offense when he is on the bench and disaster when he misses time.

Last season the Cavs had Ricky Rubio for the first half or so of the season, and he excelled both backing up Garland and playing alongside him. When Rubio went down the Cavs spun their wheels trying to find a reliable backup, going from Kevin Pangos to an oft-injured Rajon Rondo to Brandon Goodwin and RJ Nembhard. Especially when Garland missed time, the point guard position was rough, and it hurt the entire team.

It has to be a priority of the Cavs to sign a strong backup point guard. They chose not to address the position in the draft, and Rondo seems unlikely to return; Goodwin could potentially return, but he didn’t exactly blow the doors off last season when he played. He was fine, but not enough to count on.

Ideally, the Cavs will sign someone who can fill that same Rubio role, even if it isn’t to the same level: playing behind but also beside Garland in double-PG looks. Two prime candidates for that would be Tyus Jones and Delon Wright. Both have good size, are tough defenders and could potentially be available for the non-taxpayer MLE, which the Cavs will have access to if they don’t re-sign Collin Sexton to a high-figure deal.

If the Cavs shop at a lower price point, there are a few options as well. They could bring back Rubio, who figures to be rehabbing for the first half of the season, and then a low-cost option to hold down the fort until he is healthy; perhaps Goodwin, or a player like Raul Neto. They could go for a reclamation project, perhaps trading for Detroit’s Killian Hayes or Oklahoma City’s Theo Maledon.

Last season showed the backup point guard position can’t be an afterthought. Hopefully, the Cavs find a good solution on the open market and shore up that potential weakness in the rotation.