Cavaliers need shooters to capitalize on their dynamic duo

Shooters the Cavaliers should target this summer

Heading into the trade deadline, Cleveland needed to make a move to fill the hole at the starting small forward position because Isaac Okoro wasn’t getting the job done. Guys like Kyle Kuzma (who I desperately wanted), Kelly Oubre Jr., Tim Hardaway Jr., P.J. Washington, or Dorian Finney-Smith would’ve fit the bill perfectly.

Unfortunately, Cleveland didn’t make any moves at the trade deadline and it came back to bite them in the playoffs when the Knicks exposed their weak supporting cast and lack of shooting. Any of those players would’ve added some of the shooting the Cavaliers desperately needed.

Heading into next season, the only guys who should remain on the roster are Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Caris LeVert, Evan Mobley, Lamar Stevens, and maybe Jarrett Allen. The Cavs need to bring in someone who can be the starting small forward and they also need to bring in shooters.

Harrison Barnes (who was an integral part of the Sacramento Kings breaking their playoff drought) is available this offseason. Barnes would be a great addition to the Cavs because he would kill two birds with one stone, providing an upgrade as the starting small forward and adding the shooting that the Cavs badly need. Barnes was with the Warriors during their run to the championship in 2015 so he knows how to play with a dynamic backcourt duo, which would make it an easy transition for him to play alongside Garland and Mitchell.

Grant Williams didn’t play in Sunday’s Game 7 for the Boston Celtics in their win against the Philadelphia 76ers, so there’s a chance that he could be available this upcoming offseason. He’s going to be a restricted free agent, which means that a player can sign an offer sheet but their original team can keep them by matching the offer within 48 hours. That’s what happened with Deandre Ayton, he signed an offer sheet with the Indiana Pacers but the Phoenix Suns matched it.

This season, Williams averaged 8.1 PPG and his field goal percentage was 45.4%. In Game 7 of the 2022 Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Milwaukee Bucks, Williams was 7-for-18 on three-pointers and he had 27 points. In Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat, Williams had 19 points going 2-for-2 on three-pointers and 5-7 on field goals. In a 118-117 loss in Salt Lake City against the Utah Jazz on Mar 18, he had 23 points. Even though that’s a relatively small sample size, it shows that he is capable of having big games.

Gary Trent Jr. is also a free agent, but he has a player option, which could make it tough for the Cavaliers to sign him. Trent Jr. would be a good replacement for Okoro in the starting lineup because he can add the shooting and playmaking that the Cavaliers were missing this season. Trent Jr. averaged 17.4 PPG, shooting 43.3% from the field and 36.9% from deep, so he’s a pretty reliable shooter. Garland and Mitchell are both capable of scoring at least 25 points on any given night, if Trent Jr. can consistently add 17-18 points, then that’s a formula that could work.

This season, Jalen McDaniels averaged 9.4 points per game and he had a field goal percentage of 45.5%. While McDaniels was with the Charlotte Hornets, he averaged 10.6 points but then he got traded to the Philadelphia 76ers and his points dropped to 6.7. It’s hard to read into that though because he had to adapt to playing with Joel Embiid and James Harden, two guys who have very specific playing styles.

Playing alongside Garland and Mitchell, McDaniels would be the beneficiary of pick & rolls. When Garland was coming off the pick & roll, it left the opposing defense in a bind because they didn’t want to leave Mitchell or LeVert open but they also don’t want to Garland a clear driving lane. McDaniels would be another shooter and playmaker who could put more pressure on the defense.

History has shown that surrounding your superstar with playmakers and shooters leads to success. The 2009 Orlando Magic, 2012 & 2013 Miami Heat, 2015-18 Cavs, Curry’s Warriors, and the 2023 Philadelphia 76ers have all followed that model. The ’09 Magic eliminated the Cavaliers and got to the NBA Finals. The Heat went back-to-back in ’12 and ‘13, the Cavs and Warriors met in the finals four consecutive years, but Golden State is still in contention, and the ’23 76ers pushed the Celtics to a Game 7 behind great shooting.

The Cavaliers need to follow that formula and implement it, building out the supporting cast around their All-Stars. Otherwise, they’ll have nothing to show for pairing Garland and Mitchell together.