Last summer, the Cavaliers made their “all-in” trade by landing Donovan Mitchell from the Utah Jazz. After being one of only five teams to reach 50 wins over the course of this now-past regular season, the Cavs flamed out in a short five-game series loss to the New York Knicks.
Looking toward the future, Cleveland needs to address the lack of post depth alongside their need for a true wing player. They need somebody who can pair next to Evan Mobley or Jarrett Allen while the other one gets rest.
In a recent report/mail bag, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com listed six potential free agent centers the Cavs will target this summer.
"“The Cavs will look at veteran Mason Plumlee and 23-year-old Naz Reid. But the cost could be prohibitive. Dwight Powell, Thomas Bryant, Drew Eubanks, Bismack Biyombo are other possibilities.”"
It’s clear that the Cavs know they cannot just run this same roster back and expect a different outcome. While the core of Darius Garland, Mitchell, Mobley, and Allen are all almost certainly returning, the rest of the rotation will be up for consideration. There is a near-zero percent chance that Robin Lopez returns as the backup big behind Jarrett Allen. Bringing in a true backup big, hopefully one that can stretch the floor, would raise the Cavs’ ceiling for next year.
The East is wide open, so these six centers might be the answer. From worst to best, here is how these potential future Cavs stack up.
The first is a veteran who was last with the Phoenix Suns.
No. 6: Bismack Biyombo, Phoenix Suns
Drafted seventh overall in the 2011 NBA Draft, Bismack Biyombo looked to have potential to be a steady big man in the Association. Unfortunately, Biyombo has been unable to find a stable spot in any organization, jumping from Charlotte to Toronto, then to Orlando, back to Charlotte, and eventually landing in Phoenix.
Last season, Biyombo averaged 14.3 minutes in 61 games played for the Suns. Defensively, Biyombo is a valuable asset. According to Cleaning The Glass (subscription required), Biyombo blocked 5.1% of all shots he defended and was in the top percentile of shot blockers.
Unfortunately, Biyombo also tends to find himself in foul trouble, averaging more than two fouls per game over his career in only an average of 19.5 minutes. Overall, Biyombo’s defensive rating was 108, two points better than the league average 110.
His real weaknesses begin on the offensive end, at least in terms of fit with the Cavs. Biyombo has a total of three 3PA in his entire NBA career. Further, in his 12 seasons, he has only averaged 5.1 points. As such a non-factor on the offensive end, defenses would ignore him in order to suffocate Cleveland’s undersized backcourt in Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell.
No. 5: Dwight Powell, Dallas Mavericks
Dallas Mavericks big Dwight Powell has been a significant rotational player since he joined the Texas franchise. In short, Powell’s playstyle could match the Cavs’ needs, but his inconsistency gives reason for skepticism.
Powell’s three-point percentage has been a roller coaster year by year. In 2018-2019, Dwight Powell shot a total of 127 threes and made 39 of them for a three-point percentage of 30.7%. A year later, Powell only attempted 39 threes and only made 10 of them. This last season, Powell’s attempts dropped to five, missing all of them.
The Cavaliers simply would not know what player they are signing if they sign Dwight Powell to the Wine and Gold. While he has been a decent defender in his career, Powell has averaged only 4.5 rebounds in his career.
Realistically, Dwight Powell would help the Cavaliers maintain their current success, but he would not make the team any better than what they already are.
No. 4: Drew Eubanks, Portland Trail Blazers
In 78 games this year, Drew Eubanks scored 6.6 points per contest and grabbed 5.4 rebounds. At 26 years old, Eubanks has shown himself to be a valuable role player, though he still would not be the ideal stretch five in Cleveland.
The pros of Eubanks is that he’s relatively efficient. According to Cleaning The Glass (subscription required), Eubanks ranked in the 89th percentile in eFG% for his position last year. His 41.2% three point percentage landed him in the 92nd percentile, albeit on only 0.2 attempts per game.
As for the cons, the lack of three-point attempts and scoring is glaring. While the Cavaliers do not absolutely need a sharpshooting big, any type of long range scoring threat drastically improves a free agent’s value to the team. Watching throughout the regular season and the playoffs, the Cavaliers clearly need to force teams to respect them more from behind the arc. The front office might expect that improvement to come mostly from a wing player, but a three-point shooting center is equally as useful.
Additionally, Drew Eubanks is a poor free throw shooter. At 66.4% last year, Eubanks could not be a realistic option to play in close game scenarios. Teams would likely be free to foul Eubanks with little to no consequence.
Defensively, Eubanks averaged 1.3 blocks per game with a defensive rating of 115. Though slightly below average, Eubanks is a serviceable defensive big with a decent offensive game. He would not be the ultimate savior of each and every one of Cleveland’s woes, but he would be a useful rotational piece.
No. 3: Thomas Bryant
After joining Anthony Davis in the Los Angeles Lakers frontcourt for the first half of last season, Thomas Bryant garnered attention across the league as a valuable role player on a competitive roster. It looked as though Bryant was headed toward a substantial pay raise this offseason.
Unfortunately for Bryant, his minutes nearly halved after being traded to the Denver Nuggets, getting only 11.4 per game. He has yet to play at all in the postseason run in Denver.
Because of this sudden drop in usage, this next season will be a prove-it year for Thomas Bryant. With the Lakers, Bryant had a 112 defensive rating and shot 44% from long range. Bryant consistently provides positive minutes in the NBA, but he needs to prove it again.
In the 2021-2022 season with the Washington Wizards, Thomas Bryant got 9.8 points, 4 rebounds, and shot a 56.1% eFG% in 18.3 minutes per game. These are far from All-Star or All-NBA numbers, but Bryant is not a negative asset.
The Cavaliers are not looking for their next all-time great big the likes of Larry Nance Jr. or Brad Daugherty. Coming off the bench, Thomas Bryant could bring a new threat on both ends to the Land.
No. 2: Mason Plumlee, LA Clippers
If Cleveland wants to bring in a big with post season experience and size to deter inside shooting, Mason Plumlee could be the guy for the job. At seven feet tall, Plumlee maintains the tall frontcourt the Cavs have grown accustomed to since pairing Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.
Plumlee started his season with the Hornets but was eventually traded to the Clippers at the trade deadline. In LA, Plumlee has averaged 7.5 points on 72.7% field goal percentage.
Although the Cilppers would eventually fall to Kevin Durant and the Suns in the first round due to both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George being sidelined by injuries yet again, Plumlee had an average plus-minus of 2.6 over the five games in that series. Additionally, he shot 92.9% from the free throw line, an area of the game in which neither Evan Mobley nor Jarrett Allen have been able to consistently succeed.
Conversely, Plumlee is another center that does not add any floor spacing with zero threes attempted this year. His inside scoring and defensive presence may make up for that, though, in the eyes of Cleveland’s President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman. Plumlee has played in the postseason six times, giving another veteran presence with playoff experience to the roster.
Assuming that the Cavaliers add shooting depth at the wing spot, Mason Plumlee would be the best choice to sign this offseason. He has a valuable skill set and is a veteran leader. The real challenge will be outbidding the Clippers who are likely to try re-signing Plumlee this summer. It might come down to whatever team has the better pitch.
No. 1: Naz Reid, Minnesota Timberwolves
Naz Reid had somewhat of a breakout year in Minnesota this year while Karl-Anthony Towns was out with injury for an extended period of time. In that period, Reid showed that his 6-foot-9 stature did not change his value as one of the league’s best sixth man bigs. He’s a board grabbing, dagger shot hitter. At only 23 years old, Naz Reid is solidifying a long career in the Association.
This makes it sound like Naz Reid is a shoe-in to stay in Minnesota. They already have his contract with Bird Rights, so why would they ever let him go? With KAT and Rudy Gobert’s massive long term contracts, the organization needs to prioritize their budget going forward. Eventually, Anthony Edwards will expect a max extension, and Kyle Anderson is not going to be a cheap extension either.
Naz Reid is young and already incredibly valuable to any team looking to compete for the Larry O’Brien.
In this season, Reid placed in the 52nd percentile of three-point shooters at his position with 34.9% on 3.2 attempts per game, per Cleaning The Glass (subscription required). Additionally, Cleaning the Glass ranked him in the 84th percentile in steals and 70th percentile in blocks. Compared to the greatest centers in the league, Naz Reid’s stats are not jaw dropping; however, as a player making less than $2 million this season Naz Reid is nothing short of outstanding.
The issue for Cleveland might come in being able to outbid other suitors. Other than Minnesota, though, Cleveland will be able to offer one of the highest paying contracts any team can offer Reid. The Cavs have their full Mid-Level Exception available of roughly $12.2 million, and since they didn’t use it last season, Cleveland has the Bi-Annual Exception available as well, which is set to be about $4.4 million.
Signing Reid to the majority, if not all, of the Cavs’ available money to offer, will limit their other possible moves this offseason outside of trades. That may be a main factor in targeting another big such as Thomas Bryant or Mason Plumlee. Cleveland clearly is starving for wing presence. Unless Koby Altman can find the right trade partner, the Cavs need to prioritize their wing position before throwing everything at Reid.
Overall, if the Cavs want a center who can space the floor and create diverse lineup rotations for Head Coach J.B. Bickerstaff to implement, then Naz Reid is the ideal target on a good deal.