The Cleveland Cavaliers don’t truly have a point guard problem. Darius Garland is a top-10 point guard in the league, a dynamic passer, scorer and shooter. Donovan Mitchell may not be the passer that Garland is, but he’s more than capable of serving as a secondary option at point guard. In the vast majority of games, one or the other will be on the court for all 48 minutes.
Even so, it’s helpful to have multiple ball-handlers on the court, and Mitchell and Garland are sure to miss at least a few games over the course of the season. The role that Ricky Rubio serves on this team is important, and the Cavs need to make sure they have a steady option in that backup point guard spot.
How do the Cavaliers address the point guard position?
That spot is not very steady at the moment. Rubio was not able to regain his pre-injury form down the stretch last season, and the Cavs have to consider alternative options if he struggles to that degree to start this next season as well. Additionally, Rubio has begun to consider his return to Europe, and while right now that’s supposed to occur after this NBA contract, if his heart is already moving in that direction it’s certainly possible that the timetable is sped up.
The Cavs have to figure out their options, therefore, and adding a point guard in free agency is one path to addressing the need. As they survey the options likely to be available this summer, one interesting wrinkle opens up: many of the point guards on the market have played for the Los Angeles Lakers recently.
Which former Lakers guards could be an option for Cleveland to sign? Here are three players the Cavs should have on their radar.