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.
No. 3: Kendrick Nunn, Washington Wizards
Two seasons ago, Kendrick Nunn seemed like a hot commodity coming off of a solid debut with the Miami Heat. His signing with the Los Angeles Lakers for just $5 million per season seemed like a steal for the Lakers, and a one-season parlay into a bigger payday for Nunn, such as Malik Monk achieved last summer.
Instead, Nunn missed all of that first season due to injury, and exercised his player option to stick around last season. The Lakers shipped him on to the Washington Wizards in the Rui Hachimura deal and he had something of a bounceback, shooting 39.2 percent from deep in 31 appearances for the Wizards.
If the Cavaliers offer Nunn a payday based on his hot shooting with the Wizards, they’re likely to be disappointed. With that being said, Nunn is a career 87.6 percent shooter from the free-throw line, suggesting that he has shooting upside, and on a team like the Cavs he can exercise his shot off-the-catch more often, generally a higher-percentage shot.
Nunn has good burst and is a solid defender; he’s not special in any one area, but on the list of point guards who could be available on a minimum deal, he is among the best. Signing Nunn would offer a low-cost path to shoring up the position and going into the season with a reasonable backup to Rubio who could step in if needed.
No. 2: Dennis Schroder, Los Angeles Lakers
If Kendrick Nunn had his career resurgence after leaving the Lakers, Dennis Schroder had his when he returned to the Lakers. Scroder’s career was starting to ebb away after its peak on the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2019-20. The Lakers traded for him after that year and Schroder struggled in the off-ball role he played on that team, and as Los Angeles moved on he was forced to sign on a bargain contract with the Boston Celtics.
He found his way back to the Lakers on a minimum deal this past season and proved his value as a rotation guard. His on-ball defense was at its best, and he displayed in the playoffs how versatile a defender he can be. His shot was inconsistent, a concern for any team that signs him, but he has the potential to space the court enough not to be a complete problem on that end.
Schroder is also a solid passer and on-ball scorer as well, certainly not to the point he should be signed to run an offense as a starting point guard, but he is very capable of being a high-end backup and attacking defenses in secondary actions.
The salary Schroder will be expecting may not materialize, but he won’t be available for a minimum deal this summer. If his market ends up around the Bi-Annual Exception, the Cavs can sign Schroder to a deal that won’t cripple their ability to go after a wing with the Mid-Level Exception.
No. 1: Russell Westbrook, LA Clippers
This is certainly the wildest option available for the Cavaliers, and it certainly isn’t one to be taken lightly. Russell Westbrook is one of the most polarizing players in the entire NBA, and the gulf between how much he can help a team and how much he can hurt a team is as wide as the Grand Canyon.
There is no question that the Los Angeles Lakers took off after his departure, making a run not just into the Play-In Tournament but all of the way to the Western Conference Finals. On the other hand, it seems true that the LA Clippers were a better team with Westbrook down the stretch and especially in the playoffs.
Can the Cavaliers or any other team that signs Westbrook thread that needle to get a player who is a defensive whirlwind and a transition monster, without getting the one who chucks shots and plays matador defense on the perimeter? Westbrook remains one of the league’s best passers and more terrifying players in the open court, but it’s an open question how a team unlocks his strengths while avoiding his cropping weaknesses.
None of these players are sure things, but that’s the reality of shopping for a point guard without much money to offer. Hopefully, Ricky Rubio bounces back and has a great season for the Cavaliers as he is further distanced from his knee injury. If not, one of these former Lakers could be the answer to help replace Rubio’s services.