The Cleveland Cavaliers have had a busy offseason. The summer after adding a superstar is often the window for a team truly building a rotation that fits well around the core; you can see that in big-time examples like the Heatles and the second-era LeBron Cavs, but also numerous second-tier teams like the current Cavaliers.
They did just that, aggressively targeting role players that could shoot to fill in around the four core players. The likes of Cedi Osman, Lamar Stevens, Raul Neto and Robin Lopez were jettisoned in exchange for Max Strus, Georges Niang, Ty Jerome and Damian Jones.
How did the Cavaliers’ moves shake out?
The book is yet to be written on whether these signings will work out, but the work of analyzing the fit of those players and value of their deals started the moment they were announced. Which move from this summer will turn out to be the best one?
The opposite side of evaluating the Cavs’ moves is to take a look around the rest of the league. 29 other teams were signing players and executing trades. What move made by another team should the Cavaliers have leaped in to make instead?
Let’s look at the good and the missed opportunities from Clevealnd’s offseason.
Best move the Cavaliers made: Signing Max Strus
Armed with only the Full Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception heading into the summer, which started at $12.4 million, it was assumed the Cavaliers had one major swing to make. Instead, they made multiple moves, because they structured their biggest signing into a sign-and-trade that took advantage of the new salary-matching rules in the CBA.
They sent out Cedi Osman, Lamar Stevens and a second-round pick to bring back Max Strus, signing him to a four-year, $63 million contract in the process. The contract is far from a no-brainer slam dunk, as Strus is undersized (6’5″) to play small forward, has been a streaky shooter, and isn’t a particularly good defender. Why, therefore, was this their best move?
It goes down to the opportunities before the Cavs. True 3-and-D wings were not available on the open market, even less so once Harrison Barnes re-signed with the Sacramento Kings ahead of free agency. Miles Bridges took the qualifying offer when he couldn’t get a deal at $20 million or above, and obviously came with concerns of his own. Bruce Brown is even shorter than Strus (although with a 6’9″ wingspan) and signed for $22.5 million per year. The player who was a “better fit” than Strus wasn’t necessarily out there.
Given that reality, beating the rest of the market to add Strus looks much better. His movement shooting has a level of gravity no player outside of the stars had on the Cavs last season, and he has proven himself not to be afraid of the bright lights of the playoffs. He’ll be a great teammate, an adult in the room, and even if the shot doesn’t go in at 40 percent he will help the spacing an incredible amount.
The move they didn’t make: Signing Grant Williams
Many Cavaliers fans have a negative opinion of Grant Williams because he once bragged he was going to make two free throws and missed both, leading to a victory by the Cavs. If they can set that aside, however, they would likely welcome his skillset as a perfect fit on the team.
Williams is one of the strongest players in the NBA, often defending the burliest of bigs like Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic. He is a savvy defender, able to execute the Boston Celtics’ complicated scheme of scram switches and weakside rotations. On offense he is a knockdown shooter and capable passer. He isn’t breaking anyone down off the dribble, but he’s the perfect role player for nearly any competing team.
The decision by the Celtics not to re-sign him is therefore ludicrous and by far their worst mistake of the summer. Williams was a restricted free agent, and rather than push deep into the luxury tax (and over the second tax apron) the Celtics let the Dallas Mavericks sign him away in exchange for a pair of seconds.
The Cavs should have been all over that deal, and could have been if they hadn’t signed Georges Niang to the Mid-Level as soon as free agency began. That’s not to knock the Niang signing in a vacuum, but Williams would have played the same position and been a significantly better two-way fit. He also would have given the Cavs the flexibility to move on from Jarrett Allen if the right small forward came available, as Williams and Evan Mobley are an ideal pairing at the 4 and 5.
If the Cavaliers had added Max Strus and Grant Williams, their optionality at small forward would have skyrocketed. They could go small with Strus, big with Williams, or space the court with both at the two forward spots. It’s water under the bridge now, but if Williams thrives in Dallas, the “what if” will continue to sting.