The Cleveland Cavaliers don’t have a lot of glaring weaknesses on the team, especially when you look ahead to when they are healthy and have a full rotation to deal with. They have depth at guard, at center and a deep collection of defensive wings and forwards.
What the Cavs can use more of, and what every team can use more of, is shooting. They rank 12th in 3-point percentage but just 22nd in attempts, so putting another sharpshooter on the bench could benefit the team in choice situations.
Starting today, NBA teams can sign free agents to 10-day contracts, and with the Cavs having left open their 15th roster spot all season it’s likely they will bring someone on board for a 10-day. Which available shooters could the Cavs sign to fill that spot?
Sharpshooter Cavs can sign to 10-day contract: Sam Merrill
If the Cavaliers want to use the spot on a younger player, taking a shot at finding a long-term piece but not gaining any experience, then Sam Merrill could be a great choice. Most elite shooters who enter the draft hang around an NBA team for at least a few years because of how valuable shooting is, but Merrill has struggled to stick with a team from day one.
A star in college at Utah State, Merrill was the 60th and final pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. He has played 36 total games in the NBA for the Milwaukee Bucks and Memphis Grizzlies, shooting 40 percent from deep. He lacks athleticism and would be a problem on defense, but his shooting stroke is pure and he could be dangerous in the right lineups if he can get another NBA chance.
Sharpshooter Cavs can sign to 10-day contract: Jeremy Lamb
From 36 games to 573 we land on another option for the Cavaliers on the wing, the former UConn Huskies guard Jeremy Lamb. He entered the league a decade ago as the 12th pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, and played for four teams across those ten seasons.
Lamb, now 30 years old, hasn’t signed on with an NBA team yet for this season. He was a part of the Tyrese Haliburton – Domantas Sabonis trade last season and played 17 games down the stretch for the Sacramento Kings. He developed his 3-point jumper over the course of his career, hitting over 40 percent from deep as recently as the 2020-21 season.
At 6’5″ Lamb has good size and length for a shooting guard, and while he can fill up shots he has always been best playing off-ball and hitting shots as they come. He would be something of a Caris LeVert-lite, a better-shooting, worse-passing version.
It’s unclear whether Jeremy Lamb wants to be in the NBA again, nor whether he would be comfortable playing for the Cavs. Most likely, Lamb will want to compete for a title, and catching on with the Cavaliers this season probably means just that.
Sharpshooter Cavs can sign to 10-day contract: Carmelo Anthony
This final option may seem like a long shot, a joke or a departure from reality. It might be all three. Yet the reality is that if the Cavs would like to add a 15th-man to a 10-day contract to have him contribute to their success, adding a respected former star like Carmelo Anthony could be just the right move.
Anthony doesn’t have much left to offer on the court, although the 38-year-old shot 37.5 percent from deep last season and hit 149 3-pointers; that final number ranks 14th in Los Angeles Lakers history. He’s nowhere near the rebounder that Kevin Love is, but he can fill a lot of the same offensive roles as Love does as an elite shooting big who doesn’t do much on defense.
Nothing from Anthony’s play last season suggested he couldn’t help a team this year in some small way, and he does seem to have mellowed into a beloved and respected veteran. He is almost certainly waiting around for a contender to call; could the Cavs be that contender?
None of these three players will be difference-makers for the Cavaliers, but they could be used in the right situations. Whether it’s Sam Merrill, Jeremy Lamb, Carmelo Anthony or someone else, look for Cleveland to find a player to hand the open 10-day contract to.