Stock up, stock down for Cavs’ pending free agents
Stock down for Cavs’ pending free agents
At the other end of the spectrum, which of the Cavs’ upcoming free agents has seen his stock decrease since the start of the season?
The most depressing player to mention here is Dylan Windler, a player who still has potential buried somewhere inside of his gossamer frame. It has been one injury after another to start his career, and he is on the shelf yet again; he is yet to appear in a game this year. Windler will probably get a non-guaranteed training camp deal next summer with a team and will need to prove himself healthy to stick around in the league.
The more prominent name to list here is Caris LeVert. The wing has had a few monster games, including dropping 41 points in Boston against the Celtics, but overall the concerns about his production and fit with this team have been borne out this year. The Cavs ended up moving LeVert to the bench, and he has been a relatively inefficient player thus far this year.
Caris LeVert‘s best shot at a big payday was going to be re-signing with the Cavs, the team that traded a first-round pick to add him in February. It is becoming increasingly unlikely the Cavaliers will hand out a big contract to LeVert given the expense across the rest of the roster and the presence of two other on-ball players in Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell. Whether LeVert takes a pay cut to stay in Cleveland or signs with another team, he will be making less than he hoped for coming into the year.
Next. Why Garland will end up as the best Cavs guard of all time. dark
Finally, Raul Neto probably needed to score more and shoot better this season to ensure himself a contract next season. The Cavs may not need him, especially if Ricky Rubio looks fully healthy, and could go for youth at the spot with Sharife Cooper or another option. If players like Eric Bledsoe and Avery Bradley couldn’t find work this season, Neto may be in a similar boat next summer.