The Cleveland Cavaliers have gone nearly the entire season with an open roster spot. They have kept 14 players fully rostered, with an additional two players on two-way contracts. Right when they signed Danny Green to fill that 15th and final spot, they agreed to a buyout with Kevin Love to open it right back up.
NBA teams are required to have 14 players on their roster; the 15th is not a must. With that being said, it’s a resource available to the Cavaliers that they should use to their advantage. Especially with Dylan Windler relatively unplayable, the Cavs should try to make use of the spot.
One option is to use it to sign one of their two-way players to a full contract. Players on a two-way are ineligible for the postseason, so signing Isaiah Mobley or Mamadi Diakite to that spot would allow them to play in the playoffs. They could also sign a player straight out of the G League.
The Cleveland Cavaliers could sign a veteran free agent to their final roster spot
Neither player is likely to be relied upon in the playoffs, however, while there are a few veteran free agents available right now with the experience J.B. Bickerstaff might crave. None are game-changers, but each can serve as an emergency backup to a key rotation player in case of injury. Let’s look at each and see whether they would be worth signing by the Cavaliers to fill that final spot.
Free Agent for Cavaliers to consider No. 1: Goran Dragic
The Cleveland Cavaliers have a deep stable of point guards, so adding another isn’t exactly a priority. Darius Garland is one of the league’s best point guards, Ricky Rubio is one of the best backups, Raul Neto is one of the best third-stringers. They don’t necessarily need another one.
With that being said, you can almost never have too many ball handlers. The Cavs have excelled this season playing two smaller guards, and rotating through a deep stable of options is not a terrible way to use their depth. Goran Dragic has been to the NBA Finals, adding important experience to the roster.
He is also insurance if Ricky Rubio continues to be inconsistent, or more worrisomely, if the Cavs lose Garland or Rubio to injury. Dragic is averaging 14.9 points and 6.4 assists per 36 minutes, totally fine numbers, although his 3-point shot has been shaky at just 35.2 percent. He still has some offensive pop, but it’s not clear how much high-level effort and defense he has left.
Signing with the Cavs is not a path to playing time for Dragic, but it is a path to joining a contender. Perhaps that’s enough for Dragic to climb aboard for the veteran’s minimum and try to win a title. If things go well, he is an interesting option to be the Cavs’ third point guard next season.
Free Agent for Cavaliers to consider No. 2: Nerlens Noel
The Cleveland Cavaliers have two of the league’s 10-best rim protectors in Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley. At all times they will have one and sometimes two paint protectors terrorizing opposing players, walling off the rim and blocking the shots of those foolish enough to drive all the way toward the rim.
The problem comes when one of them gets hurt. Who will step up in that scenario? Robin Lopez puts himself in the right position and is a big body in front of the rim, but he isn’t recovering to swat shots or leaping into the air to contest a layup. Dean Wade isn’t tall enough to realistically play at the 5, and the team cut Kevin Love.
Enter Nerlens Noel, who was just released by the Detroit Pistons after agreeing to a buyout agreement. Despite a long NBA career, Noel is still just 28 years old with plenty of spry in his step. He is averaging a whopping 5.2 STOCKS per 36 minutes (adding together steals and blocks) and could step in immediately as the backup big to either Allen or Mobley.
Noel won’t provide much more on offense than screens and catching lobs, but he can survive and rotate in to man the middle on defense. His rim protection and penchant for forcing turnovers should make him a coveted catch on the buyout market, and in Cleveland, he would have limited playing time but would gain plenty of championship equity.
Free Agent for Cavaliers to consider No. 3: Carmelo Anthony
The Cleveland Cavaliers have some high-octane scorers. Donovan Mitchell went off for 71 points earlier this year, Darius Garland is a stud and Evan Mobley is coming into his own. Caris LeVert broke the 40-point barrier earlier this season too. There are certainly scoring options at multiple positions.
That doesn’t mean their offense is terrible, however, but it would benefit from an offensive spark. Carmelo Anthony is beloved by nearly everyone he comes into contact with, was a wide-open scorer as recently as last season and is available on the open market to be signed.
Anthony gives the Cavs something they don’t exactly have, insurance in case Evan Mobley is hurt on offense. He can help space the court, get up shots, and hope the defensive deficiencies are not going to sink whatever lineup he is in.
Whatever the Cavaliers decide to do with the final roster spot, these are some veteran free agents they should take a look at. With the right situation they could add a player who provides insurance against injury down the stretch.