The Cleveland Cavaliers have been eliminated from the 2023 NBA Playoffs, and for now, they sit at home watching the games they expected to be playing in. Hopefully, seeing teams that had worse seasons than Cleveland continue to advance lights a fire under them to be even better next season.
That’s not the only benefit to watching the rest of the playoffs, however. The Cavs also can be scouting those teams for potential free-agent targets. These teams have players who are proving live that they can survive under the bright lights of the playoffs. Here is one player from each team that the Cavs should consider targeting this summer in free agency, ranked by a combination of fit and availability.
Free Agent Target No. 8: Josh Hart, New York Knicks
We’ll start with the most painful target on this list. Josh Hart absolutely destroyed the Cavaliers in their first-round series. Every time the Cavs thought they got a crucial late-game stop, Hart was there flying into traffic and pulling down an offensive rebound. His ability to rebound out-of-position as a 6’5″ wing is truly remarkable.
Hart has the combination of motor, shooting, ball-handling and savvy that make him the perfect fit on any team that already has its on-ball creators in place. He would be a tremendous fit on the Cavs, but unfortunately, he will almost certainly re-sign with the Knicks at a number higher than Cleveland can offer.