The rest of this season is vitally important for the Cleveland Cavaliers as a team. They are battling with a number of other good teams in the Eastern Conference for playoff positioning, and where they finish will have a huge impact on how far into the playoffs they can advance.
It’s also important for a number of individual players, too. While the core of stars might be locked up for multiple seasons and all a crucial part of the team’s plans moving forward, other players will be competing for their futures down the stretch. Here are four Cavaliers whose futures in Cleveland will likely be decided in the coming weeks.
No. 1: Sam Merrill is playing for his future with Cavaliers
This one is the starkest, as Sam Merrill is currently signed to a 10-day contract with the team. If he doesn’t perform, in practice and in any game action he sees, he will by default find his future with the team extinguished when his contract runs out.
A deadly shooter, Merrill fits the archetype of a player the Cavs don’t have on the roster, a true movement shooter (Darius Garland would count but has the ball in his hands often). If he can demonstrate that his shot is pure and his defense is survivable, he could find a home as a fringe rotation player not just down the stretch but next year as well.
No. 2: Cedi Osman is playing for his future with Cavaliers
With Kevin Love agreeing to a buyout, Cedi Osman is now the longest-tenured player on the Cleveland Cavaliers, and by multiple seasons. He is the only current Cavalier left who played alongside LeBron James during his second stint (Danny Green played with him 13 years ago). He has never worn another jersey in his career.
That level of organizational DNA and history matters, and it may be why he is still on the team despite multiple transactional cycles where his name was mentioned in trade rumors. It might not be enough to keep him around this summer, however, as he is floating further and further towards the outskirts of the rotation.
Osman plays in nearly every game, but he is very expendable and sometimes other players take his place in the rotation. His 20.7 minutes per game are his lowest since his rookie season, and he is shooting only seven shots per game (for 8.6 points scored on average). His 3-pointer is always a roller coaster, and he is shooting just four per game at a 34.9 percent average.
Osman isn’t terrible at anything, but he isn’t great at anything, either. He is a decent shooter and fair defender and poor passer, and the Cavs need to start filling in the rotation with players who have higher-level skillsets to offer. Osman has a non-guaranteed contract for next season, and he could certainly find himself cut or traded this summer. How he plays down the stretch could save his tenure or seal its end.
No. 3: Isaac Okoro is playing for his future with Cavaliers
It may not seem like it to many fans of the Cavaliers, but Isaac Okoro is just 22 years old and playing in his third season in the NBA. While everyone wants young players to blossom immediately and grow consistently, the reality is that players find their footing at different speeds and in different patterns.
At some point, however, the Cavs are going to have to decide just how much of a factor Okoro will be in their future. He is an absolutely elite point-of-attack defender, with quick hands, a good wingspan and incredibly fast feet. He can mirror opposing guards as well as anyone in the league and loves to pick guys up full-court.
His offensive game has spectacularly failed to develop, however. Okoro is shooting 34 percent from 3-point range, which is respectable, but he only takes absolutely wide-open shots. He isn’t guarded on the perimeter, and he lacks the creation ability to make something happen with the ball in his hands. He can score well enough on cuts and in transition, but starting two bigs the Cavs need a wing who shoots. Okoro is not that guy.
He is due for a contract extension this summer. If he doesn’t show growth down the stretch, and especially in the playoffs, then the Cavs might need to move on from him and let another team take a chance on his offense coming together down the road.
No. 4: Caris LeVert is playing for his future with Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers invested a lot in Caris LeVert. They traded a first-round pick and a high second (#31 last season) for LeVert, whose presence on the team made it difficult for them to add salary at the Trade Deadline. They have given him starts, plenty of minutes and lots of organizational focus over the past 13 months.
It’s not that LeVert has been bad, but he just isn’t the right player to give a large role to on a team with Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell. His 3-point shooting is fine, but he thrives with the ball in his hands; his off-ball utility is much lower. And while he plays hard on defense, he doesn’t have the strength, instincts or lateral fluidity to be a lockdown perimeter defender.
LeVert probably deserves a contract of $15 million per year, as shot creation and playmaking are such valuable skills and he brings them with good on-ball size. He just isn’t a good fit on the Cavaliers, and they won’t want to hand a large contract to LeVert this summer if he is such a difficult fit.
He’s a part of the rotation now, so if he can step up his off-ball impact and make a larger impact down the stretch and in the playoffs, perhaps the Cavs talk themselves into re-signing him. More likely, a strong finish will pave the way for a solid contract in free agency with another team.
The Cavaliers will have some important decisions to make this summer as they look to maximize the rotation around their core of stars. Whether the above four players are a part of the future in Cleveland may just depend on how they play the rest of this season.