The Cleveland Cavaliers appear largely set at a number of positions now that the dust has settled from the most recent NBA draft in which they added four new faces including Kansas alum Ochai Agbaji who is sure to see a ton of action from jump street. He will likely satisfy the team’s need for a 3-and-D wing.
Among the team’s other additions are Isaiah Mobley, brother of Rookie of the Year finalist Evan Mobley and a player who will reportedly likely be on a two-way deal, Khalifa Diop, a to-be draft-and-stash selection, and last but certainly not least is Perth’s Luke Travers, who will also remain overseas for now.
With that said, the Cavaliers have yet to address their need for both a backup PG and a dependable backup 5 off the bench. The Cleveland-based team is armed with very little in terms of cap space and its’ best asset may be the non-taxpayer Mid-Level Exception which is valued at about $10.2 million this offseason. That begs the question, what should be addressed first?
There are no shortage of options at this moment and with this being the case, let us examine 5 potential free agent options at each position starting with five of the best options at point guard.
5 Cavs potential backup PG options – #1: Ricky Rubio
The Cavs could opt to bring Ricky Rubio back after trading him in a mid-season deal that netted them the services of Caris LeVert but because of his injury, even if they were able to do so, they would likely have to manage without him until midway through next season at the earliest. We already know what kind of impact a healthy Rubio can have on the team as he is a steadying presence in the best way imaginable for such a young team.
When Darius Garland left the court, the drop-off was minimal and we’ve seen that they can operate well together. He allows for more off-ball opportunities for Garland and can create for others. His shooting splits from this season weren’t anything to get hype about but he certainly held his own and played better than they suggest. In just 34 games with the Cavs (8 starts) Rubio averaged a career-high in scoring at 13.1 PPG on 36.3 percent from the field but it often didn’t seem to matter.
He had full command of the offense at times and wasn’t afraid to let it fly from range. His 6.6 APG were second to first-time All-Star Darius Garland and his 5.1 triples attempted per game ranked fifth on the team behind aforementioned Garland, Kevin Love, Lauri Markkanen, and Cedi Osman.
It was clear how good of a fit he was with the team but the problem is health. Rubio may not be available for the first few month’s of the 2022-23 season and that could scare the team away from bringing him back.
5 Cavs potential backup PG options – #2: Delon Wright
Delon Wright is an older guard at 30 years old who is versatile enough to lineup at either the 1 or 2. He didn’t show out statistically for the Atlanta Hawks but he certainly had a big impact this season off the bench and is a really good defender at the position, that could provide a considerable boost on that end.
He was a bright spot on that area of the floor for a woeful Atlanta defense that finished near the bottom of the league in defensive rating this season at 115.9. He is reminiscent of former Cavalier point guard Matthew Dellavedova in the fact that he seems to delight in making life difficult for opposing guards.
He doesn’t need the ball in his hands to be effective and to put that further into perspective, he didn’t qualify for the leaderboard in regards to USG% rate but had he qualified he would’ve had the 3rd-lowest rate in the league at 10.3%. He led the team in steals and would fit nicely with that Cavs culture of team over individual players.
Unfortunately, Atlanta holds his Bird rights and he may cost more than the MLE that the Cavs can offer, in the sense that would end up being the non-taxpayer MLE.
5 Cavs potential backup PG options – #3: Tyus Jones
The Tyus Jones situation will be one that the Cavs should keep an eye on as they look to add additional pieces to surround their young core with. Jones will be one of the most coveted point guards on the market once FA officially begins and this makes him kind of a long shot for Cleveland.
In a season in which Ja Morant missed 25 games, Jones was able to help keep the ship afloat in his absence. The Memphis Grizzlies went 20-5 in the regular season in games with Jones as the starter which is ultimately how he views himself, one would think: A starter.
He echoed this sentiment last month when he stated the following, via Meghan Triplett of the Grizzlies and Grind City Media.
Tyus Jones said, was asked if he wants to be a starting point guard in this league and he answered, "I do."
— Meghan Triplett (@Meghan_Triplett) May 15, 2022
Jones added that he has always viewed himself as a starter even when coming off the bench.
In the last four seasons, he has led the NBA in assist-to-turnover ratio. Jones averaged 8.7 points and 4.4 assists in 21.2 minutes this season. In games he started, Jones averaged 12.7 points and 6.6 assists. He also improved his 3PT% this season going from 32.1% the season prior to 39.0% this year, albeit on low volume (2.8).
Memphis holds his Bird rights and he made $8.4 million this season and will likely command a pay raise. That could make it difficult to land him in FA for Cleveland but an interesting option nonetheless.
5 Cavs potential backup PG options – #4: Raul Neto
Raul Neto would be an interesting addition to this Cavaliers team because on the one hand, he would add veteran leadership and experience to such a young roster but at the same time, he might face some of the same criticism’s as Cleveland’s other guards and that is his lack of size. Neto is listed at 6’2” & 180 Pounds and that might be a little on the generous side of things.
He would likely need to be featured in lineups with size around him. I’m not quite sure what a lineup consisting of both himself and Darius Garland for instance would look like defensively. With that said, he could be a cheap option off the bench who knows how to move the ball and get others involved without overcomplicating things.
At 30 years old, he is likely to already know his role and shouldn’t have a problem playing it. He could serve in essentially the same role as Rubio did albeit smaller. If he could provide somewhere between 15-20 minutes on a nightly basis for the Cavs, he would be worth it if they strike out elsewhere.
He doesn’t come without his flaws as he rarely heads to the charity stripe and is a very inconsistent 3PT shooter with a career 36.6% mark from range but he also notched a career-high in AST per game with 3.1 per contest in just 19.6 MPG this season.
5 Cavs potential backup PG options – #5: Brandon Goodwin
This last one may or may not surprise you. Brandon Goodwin played well enough in my opinion to warrant another shot at securing a role with the team on the permanent roster. He was signed as a two-way player midway through the 2021-22 season and had some noteworthy games. Take his 21-point explosion against the New Orleans Pelicans back on Jan. 31 in which he went 8-of-11 from the field including 3-of-4 from 3PT range.
He showcased flashes during his short time with the Cavaliers and his 6.5 assists per-36 min aren’t bad for a two-way dart throw. If given a significant compliment of minutes this season, there’s no telling how big of an impact he could make.
Now I’ll say this, Goodwin didn’t seem too keen on the idea of again being buried on the depth Cavs depth chart by Darius Garland, Collin Sexton or any other PG on the roster when on April 21 he tweeted out the infamous words “Not a 3rd pg”.
It would appear that he wants a larger role and honestly why shouldn’t he? He has bounced around a bit and probably just wants an opportunity to prove he can be more than just an end of bench guard. We’ll see what happens though.
From there, we’ll now get into backup center options.
5 Cavs potential backup C options – #1: JaVale McGee
Could a possible Cavs-JaVale McGee reunion be in order? It would definitely make sense for Cleveland as they would seemingly like to add a veteran presence capable of giving 8-12 minutes at the position at any given time if called upon. McGee fits that description to a tee and due to having spent some time with many of the Cavaliers on the current roster, he would have an immediate advantage over many other possible options.
The Cavs run so many pick-and-roll sets with the likes of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley that McGee would likely be able to do the exact same thing while also providing excellent rim protection. This is something the team struggled to get out of its reserve bigs last season.
McGee spent the 2021-22 campaign with the Phoenix Suns where he appeared in 74 games, starting 17 of them and made a pretty big impact despite only seeing the floor for about 15.8 mpg.
He was able to reject 1.1 shots per game as well as contribute 9.2 points on a really good 62.9% field goal percentage and he pulled down 6.7 boards per contest as well. Solid production from a backup big and the Cavaliers would be wise to inquire about a possible return to the land.
He was signed using the mid-level last season with a cap hit of $5 million and I believe it would be possible for a team to acquire him with that type of salary again. If so, perhaps Cleveland could split their MLE in half and use roughly one half on McGee.
5 Cavs potential backup C options – #2: Serge Ibaka
Serge Ibaka carries some appeal as a backup 5 in various ways. First off, he is a veteran presence who has been there and done that. He has championship experience dating back to 2012 in which a young Ibaka was part of an up-and-coming Oklahoma City Thunder team led by Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden in which they faced a motivated Miami Heat team in the NBA Finals.
While he didn’t get to hoist the trophy up that season, he would eventually do so 7 years later when the Toronto Raptors won it all back in 2019.This level of success is a great thing to have off the bench especially when the majority of your roster has never experienced playoff basketball. Besides the role of mentor, he can also provide the Cavs with on-court production as well.
As a career 36.0% shooter from 3PT range, he is a legitimate threat to space the floor, especially when spotting up. He can operate as a roller out of the PnR and that is a must for any big man in this offense. From a defensive standpoint, Ibaka is no longer the fierce shot blocker that he was earlier on in his career but he still provides a good level of rim protection.
The biggest question mark in regards to Ibaka is health. He hasn’t appeared in more than 70 games since the 2018-19 season. This combined with his age (34) could make him an available option.
He is an unrestricted free-agent and while he made a little under $9.5 million over the last 2 seasons, he may be able to be had for half of that this offseason if sold on a role.
5 Cavs potential backup C options – #3: Bismack Biyombo
Bismack Biyombo, like the aforementioned JaVale McGee, spent last season with the Suns and while he isn’t quite the rim protector that McGee is, he can still be used as a deterrent. The 6’8″ big man is a throwback player at his position who could come in and know exactly what his role would be.
Biyombo could function as a rim-roller off of feeds from Garland and others and isn’t all that bothered by contact. He runs the floor really well for a man his size and can make plays defensively even when it seems he’s out of a play or out of position. Although his stat line wouldn’t suggest it, he moves the ball fairly well and can hit the open man on the move.
He suited up for 36 games last season and made 3 starts, averaging just 14.1 minutes per game which is exactly the kind of time he could see the floor in Cleveland. Phoenix currently has 9 players on the roster heading into free agency and has very little to work with in regards to cap space.
Biyombo could return on a vet-minimum but he could also be lured away if given slightly more in my opinion. This makes him a solid option if available. The Cavaliers wouldn’t necessarily have to deplete most of their MLE to obtain him.
5 Cavs potential backup C options – #4: Dwight Howard
Dwight Howard has bounced around the league quite a bit as of late. Over the course of the last 5 seasons, he has suited up for the Charlotte Hornets, Washington Wizards, Los Angeles Lakers twice as well as the Philadelphia 76ers. It’s fine to consider him a journeyman at this point of his career.
Now that the dust has settled on the 2021-22 campaign, Howard could once again be looking to make a move. If so, Cleveland would represent an opportunity to mentor some youthful bigs as well as get a decent dosage of playtime to keep Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley fresh throughout the season.
The Cavs need bruisers and Howard is still very much capable of being an irritant on the defensive side of the floor. He still provides a high level of rim-protection and can get up to reject shots. This is something he did with authority once upon a time as a 3x DPOY. The 8x All-Star is still quite the rim-roller and finisher around the rim which would be a great addition to have with a guard like Garland in town.
I would love to see Garland-to-Howard lobs although he seems a little more ground bound than he was in years past. Much of his offensive production comes off of putbacks and something which I never thought I’d see him lean on and that is the floater out of the elbows.
Howard is an unrestricted free agent and made about $2.6 million this past year. At 36 years old, his time as a starter is far behind him outside of the occasional spot start so the Cavs wouldn’t have to worry about his role and fit with the team. He is still pretty efficient at what he does and would be a great low-cost option for the team, seemingly via minimum deal.
5 Cavs potential backup C options – #5: Hassan Whiteside
Now I know what some of you are saying about this option, “Hassan Whiteside is lazy and we don’t want that in our team’s locker room.” My response to that is simply that if a team is willing to hold him accountable for any bouts of laziness or perceived pouting then things would be okay. He is a fairly productive player when given the opportunity and is truly better than what a lot of people think in my opinion.
Whiteside is fresh off a season with the Utah Jazz in which he appeared in 65 games, starting 8 of them and provided 8.2 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game. He is among the most efficient bigs in the league at what he does and it showed as he completed 65.2% of his field goal attempts this season which ranked 9th in the league among players who appeared in at least 50 games this past year.
Additionally for those of you who don’t think he’s that impactful on the court, take this into account. He had the 5th-best net rating in the NBA among players with at least 50 games played at 10.1 behind the likes of Jayson Tatum, George Hill, Jae Crowder and Stephen Curry, per NBA.com. He might actually be the best rim protector available.
At 33 years old, he could provide a proven option at the backup 5 that’s capable of keeping Mobley and Allen fresh. He’d give you everything you need out of the backup 5 whether that be rim-rolling, putback opportunities, shot blocking, rim deterrence. It all comes down to value and Whiteside would be a tremendous value addition.
He made just $2.4 million this past season and could probably be had for a bit more next season.