The Cleveland Cavaliers are fresh off of a resurgence, posting a winning record for the first time since they made it to four straight NBA Finals.
A large part of their success was the stellar play of their star-studded frontcourt featuring Rookie of the Year runner-up Evan Mobley, All-Star Jarrett Allen, and Sixth Man of the Year runner-up Kevin Love in their rotation.
The bigger issue for the Cavaliers this season that allowed them to drop from just one game from the one seed all the way to missing the playoffs in just a few short months was their lack of playable big men not named Mobley, Allen, or Love.
With a few players on inflated contracts and Collin Sexton seemingly likely getting a deal worth around $18 or so million per season, there isn’t going to be too much money to throw at centers for their rotation. Focusing on players who will likely make under $10 million per year on a deal is probably for the best.
The non-taxpayer mid-level exception is set to be roughly $10.3 million, for what it’s worth, and here, we’ll take a look at three potential centers for Cleveland to target. This is with some of the MLE, in that sense.
#1: Kevon Looney
Kevon Looney is coming off of an incredible season with the Golden State Warriors where he was a rebounding machine, scored in the post, and occasionally spaced out to about 15 feet.
Where his real value comes into play is his insanely underrated defense, as he can guard one through five and be truly effective against all of them.
Throughout the playoffs the three-time champion was switched onto players such as Nikola Jokic, Ja Morant, Luka Doncic, Jayson Tatum, and Jaylen Brown and didn’t allow almost anything as he moved his feet and contested everything they put up against him.
He could be a solid lob threat for Darius Garland while also bringing championship experience to the young roster.
The only downside with Looney following a season where he played 104 games, more than Kyrie Irving has played in his three-year career with the Brooklyn Nets, is the fact that many teams will likely attempt to sign him and potentially create a bidding war for the vet.
He is expected to get around $10 million in free agency due to this and could still very well re-sign with the team he’s played with his entire career, Golden State, using his Bird Rights.