The collective heart of the Cleveland Cavaliers and the beloved fanbase broke a bit when the Cavs fell to the New York Knicks in five games during the first round of the NBA Playoffs. Though the Cavaliers lost a series with homecourt advantage, the series showcased a hopeful future for Cleveland rather than a grim omen of what is to come.
Even with an exciting season, there’s work to be done.
The Cavaliers core is set and deadly. With Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, and Evan Mobley at the center of Cleveland’s future, the next step to achieve the ultimate goal is filling out the roster and developing this core.
With the coming offseason, the Cavs front office is at a crossroads to either patiently develop depth or find it now. Since trading away a haul of draft picks to Utah for Donovan Mitchell, developing depth could become a waste of a potential championship window.
The truth is that this offseason could define the Cavaliers’ future. Although Donovan Mitchell has shown true joy playing in Cleveland, rumors of his desire to end up on his hometown team New York Knicks have circulated since his draft night. With recent comments, there is a lingering anxiety that the front office needs to show Mitchell that Cleveland is the best city for his legacy.
As of right now, the young nucleus in Cleveland is the best place for Mitchell to be. The weaknesses must be addressed this offseason, though, or Mitchell could grow unhappy in the team’s lack of improvement, rightfully so.
What goals should the Cavaliers have this offseason? There are three critical choices that need to be made.
Cavs Offseason Goal No. 3: Add solid shooters off the bench
For the Cavaliers, their unimpressive long range shooting might be the most obvious drawback of the roster. Outside of Mitchell, Garland, and upcoming free agent Caris LeVert, the team has little to no consistent shooting threats. While Isaac Okoro and Cedi Osman can knock down shots occasionally, neither player has a consistent enough release or full enough game outside of shooting to bring Cleveland to the top of the NBA’s best shooting teams.
A shooter with defensive talent additionally would be a dream come true for Cleveland with players such as Royce O’Neale and Naz Reid being rumored offseason targets. Opening up the floor with shooting grants the Cavs a chance to flow through their offense more rather than the rigid high pick-and-roll plays we saw all last season and postseason.
Thankfully, adding shooting would not come at the cost of any major roster changes. While the Cavaliers do not have control of first-round picks to trade away, they have a horde of second-round picks and young talent worth developing for rebuilding rosters. Ricky Rubio’s $6.4 million contract next season could also easily be added to a trade package for a shooter with a higher price tag.
As mentioned, the Cavs already have stellar shooting in their backcourt and seemingly likely sixth man. Even with new shooting added to the roster, how can the Cavaliers get the most out of Garland and Mitchell’s potential? That comes through the next offseason goal.
Cavs Offseason Goal No. 2: Develop Evan Mobley and hand him the keys
In 2021, the Cleveland Cavaliers selected Evan Mobley with the third overall pick after a fantastic freshman year at USC. His dynamic defense and hustling offense served as the pinnacle to the Cavaliers rebuild. Outside of his own talent, he gave a young Garland a running mate for thrilling lobs and creative playmaking.
Since entering the NBA, Mobley finished second in the 2021-2022 Rookie of the Year voting, third in 2022-2023 Defensive Player of the Year voting, and achieved a place on the 2022-2023 NBA All-Defensive First Team.
With such a decorated pedigree in his first two seasons, Mobley’s potential as the top guy on this Cleveland roster cannot be understated. In Garland’s third season as a Cavalier, Cleveland put the ball in his hands and let him find himself. That season Garland became an All-Star and solidified his future in the Association.
The Cavaliers should do the same with Evan Mobley this next upcoming season. With the 6-foot-11 unicorn at the center of the offense, Garland and Mitchell can find open looks for themselves through off-ball movement and screens. Both guards have shown impressive speed, and Garland’s 41% three-point percentage this past season showcases his dynamic prowess on the offensive end of the court.
Let Evan Mobley lead the Cavaliers this next season. Garland and Mitchell will still get their shots up, and nothing will stop Garland from throwing dazzling assists to his teammates even if he is not always the primary handler.
With a few more shooters on the court surrounding Evan Mobley, placing the ball in his hands leaves him with an open post to dominate his opponent and trustworthy teammates to threaten defenses each and every game.
The Cavs’ primary offseason need: Find a starting SF
This final goal might be directly related to adding shooters, but Cleveland’s primary need this offseason is solidifying the starting small forward position.
Looking at the current roster, the wing position has quite a few candidates in LeVert, Okoro, Dean Wade, Lamar Stevens, Osman, Danny Green, and Sam Merrill. None of these players seem to meet every need Cleveland has when slotted into the starting five. Each player has a glimpse of that key element, but nobody has managed to lockdown that role. In fact, LeVert has become in a sense the backup guard for Cleveland, often even serving as the secondary point guard.
As much as it hurts, then, it is time to let some of these players go. The wing spot is cluttered but is still the biggest weakness for the Cavaliers. The most obvious choices are Okoro and Wade, as they are young with potential to improve, meaning they could be sent in a package together for a proven veteran small forward.
Regardless of how the player is acquired, there is no question that the Cavaliers cannot run it back next season with so much uncertainty at the three spot. For nearly a decade (not all consecutive), Cleveland never questioned who would start at small forward with LeBron James leading the team. In this new era, that position has become their largest question mark.
As of now, Cleveland fans have no reason to doubt President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman’s ability to find that final puzzle piece; he finished second in Executive of the Year voting for the 2022-23 campaign. He has been patient and allowed players to prove themselves, but he has also been decisive when he realizes the path to take.
Be hopeful, because there is a lot of good coming to the Cleveland Cavaliers. These three goals could catapult this team to the top of the Eastern Conference, assuming that they are met and put into motion properly by Head Coach J.B. Bickerstaff.