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.
#2: Dwight Howard
The Cavaliers will likely never be the team that comes to mind when you think Dwight Howard no matter what happens, but he can still add to his career resume by helping this young team rise to a championship level of basketball. He of course was a member of the Los Angeles Lakers 2020 championship squad, and he gave them a boost in rotational minutes throughout that run.
He is still a good defender on the interior at 6-foot-10, and has even improved his off-ball defense as he’s gotten older, which would make a difference for Cleveland.
Contested shots, quality help defense, and clogged passing lanes have been what has kept Howard in the league these past few years as his athleticism declines. That could help the Cavaliers off the bench.
Howard has also become an improved playmaker on the offensive end. He’s still not Nikola Jokic or Karl-Anthony Towns, but he’s still capable of making decent passes if asked.
This is definitely a deal to be made for the checkbooks as the 39-year-old Howard is likely to only ask for a minimum contract, and not close to the non-taxpayer MLE in this sense, and doesn’t have much leverage to ask for anything more.
#3: Mo Bamba
With the Orlando Magic taking Paolo Banchero, the frontcourt becomes even more full of quality big men like Jonathan Isaac, Franz Wagner, Wendell Carter Jr., Mo Wagner, Chuma Okeke, and even still perhaps Robin Lopez.
There just isn’t much room for Mo Bamba to snag playing time. This is where the Cavaliers could come in.
Bamba is a great shot blocker at over 7-feet tall and has one of the longest wingspans in NBA history. Mixed with rare athleticism for somebody his size, he is able to get his hands super high in the air to reject shots or finish incredible lobs.
Bamba has a limited game on offense but is capable of shooting the three at a higher level than the other two guys listed here as well as Jarrett Allen, perhaps opening the door for more versatility on offense.
Bamba is also only 24 years old, so there may be room for him to improve even more in areas that the Cavs need going forward.
In a recent piece by John Hollinger of The Athletic (subscription required), Hollinger projected Bamba to warrant a deal for about $6.8 million per, a price tag that the Cavs can easily offer him.
There are still many options for them outside of these three, they just seem to be the most valuable for the Cavaliers needs. And to these three would seem to be more sensible to be playing meaningful minutes than second-round pick Isaiah Mobley in his rookie campaign.
No matter who the Cavaliers sign at center, if they do choose to, which I believe they still could, it will surely help as when Allen and Mobley both sit, they had issues playing their elite defense.
Maybe with one of these three centers, they can take the next step in the journey to a championship.