NBA Free Agency is still ongoing for the Cleveland Cavaliers and for most other teams across the league. The Cavs need to either clear a roster spot and re-sign restricted free agent guard Collin Sexton, or work out a sign-and-trade to send Sexton elsewhere. Most other teams still have roster spots to fill or trades to consider.
Even while things wrap up for this offseason, and the Cavs continue to prepare for an exciting season, the franchise has to keep one eye on next summer. That goes for any team, but especially for a Cleveland Cavaliers team that will have a lot of flexibility for the first time in years…and likely for the last time in years.
The Cleveland Cavaliers can have max cap space in the summer of 2023. Which players could the Cavs pursue with a max contract offer next year?
After this season a number of the Cavs’ contracts will come off the books, including Kevin Love, Caris LeVert and Dylan Windler. As things stand, even with Darius Garland’s rookie extension kicking in, the Cavs are looking at over $40 million in cap space for the summer of 2023.
That number will likely go down, whether the Cavs retain any of those free agents, work out a contract extension with LeVert or bring back Sexton. For now, however, they can at least entertain the idea of luring a high-dollar free agent to join their core.
Who are some of next summer’s free agents worthy of a max deal? Cavs fans are likely thinking of one specific player who may or may not have been in town before, but let’s look at three forwards who could sign with Cleveland next summer. Coincidentally, they also represent the last three championships won in the NBA.
3 free agents Cavs can sign to a max contract in 2023: Andrew Wiggins
The Golden State Warriors bought low on Andrew Wiggins, who was an empty-calories scorer on a number of bad Minnesota Timberwolves teams (and one good one) before he was traded with a draft pick for D’Angelo Russell. He has since reinvented himself in Golden State, buying into team-centered responsibilities like lockdown defense, cutting and rebounding.
Wiggins was an essential part of the Warriors winning the title last month, and had at least a little buzz for Finals MVP – that isn’t to take away from Stephen Curry winning it, but to illustrate how well Wiggins played all throughout the playoffs.
It would seem crazy that the Warriors would let him walk next summer, but their payroll is already through the roof, and they ostensibly drafted his replacement in Jonathan Kuminga. It’s been reported that Wiggins on a max deal may be too expensive for the Warriors to stomach, and if that means he hits free agency next summer, the Cavs should be the first ones lined up for a meeting.
Cleveland was the team that first drafted Wiggins, trading his rights soon after the draft to the Minnesota Timberwolves as part of the Kevin Love deal. Could Wiggins turn around and replace Love in Cleveland? He is 6’7″ with the ability to defend 1-4 and a smooth jumper. He could be the Cavs’ secondary scorer and primary perimeter defender. His fit with the Cavs is basically perfect.
Is Wiggins worth a maximum deal? Barring some sort of unexpected decline or resumption of bad habits next season, he is exactly the type of player to entice with a max deal; a fringe All-Star with good size to play the 3 or 4, a good outside shot and excellent defensive abilities. Even if it’s an overpay, that’s what it takes to lure in free agents, and Wiggins would help the Cavs reach the next level.
3 free agents Cavs can sign to a max contract in 2023: Khris Middleton
The Milwaukee Bucks won the 2021 NBA Championship in resounding fashion, screaming back from an 0-2 deficit to win in six games. Last year they seemed like a serious candidate to repeat before All-Star forward Khris Middleton went down with an injury and missed the entirety of the Bucks’ seven-game, Second Round loss to the Boston Celtics.
Clearly, Middleton is valuable, if not vital, to the Bucks and their success, but he is also incredibly expensive. He has a player option for $40.4 million next summer, and most likely he will choose to hit free agency and lock in a longer-term deal. That will likely be with the Bucks, but if the cost is too high or he wants a change-of-scenery, the Cavs would love to have him.
Middleton is one of the league’s best “tough shot” makers, a valuable skill when things slow down in the playoffs. He is also 6’7″ but is more of a pure 3 than a combo forward, although he can certainly slide to the 4 as needed. He is a career 39.2 percent shooter from deep and has averaged over 20 points per game in each of the last three seasons while adding solid rebounding, assist and steal totals.
The offensive combination of Middleton and Darius Garland would be a lot for opponents to handle, especially while trying to stay big to match up with the size of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley. Middleton is right at home in such “jumbo” lineups and his championship experience could help lead the Cavs back into the championship mix.
3 free agents Cavs can sign to a max contract in 2023: LeBron James
Speaking of the Cavs and championships, only one player in franchise history has ever led the Cleveland Cavaliers to a title (Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love were the supporting cast, to be sure). The greatest player in Cavaliers history and possibly league history will likely be a free agent again next summer, and he is no stranger to moving around the league or returning to a former team.
LeBron James successfully won a title in Los Angeles with the Lakers, and certainly contention was not his only motivation for taking his talents to Malibu Beach. Yet LeBron and the Lakers have been nowhere near contention the last two seasons, and it doesn’t look like this year will be rescued either. If James wants to keep chasing Michael Jordan and try to add another ring, it’s increasingly unlikely that will happen in Los Angeles.
It’s very possible it could happen in Cleveland, if he joins up next summer and if he maintains a high level of play. With the defensive infrastructure behind him to make up for his slipping defense, James could once again pair with an All-Star point guard in Garland and have the support he needs to compete for another title without having to carry a team on his back anymore.
Most likely, Andrew Wiggins and Khris Middleton will re-sign with their current teams. Keeping the cap space open to pursue them might be worth it, but it’s not a high-probability bet. A LeBron return? That has legs, and the Cavs would do well to try and sound that out as best they can before mortgaging that space. In the right context and in the right role, one last run with The King could be worth it for everyone.