As happens every year, the Cleveland Cavaliers lost a couple of crucial contributors. Keon Ellis is taking his talents to the guard-heavy Brooklyn Nets, and Dean Wade will now play for the Philadelphia 76ers.
However, not everything has been bad for Koby Altman and company. They're still pretty much in the race to sign LeBron James, with James Harden even agreeing to wait before signing a deal to give the team enough flexibility to pull it off.
Notably, that's not the front office's only big win of the offseason. They signed Thomas Bryant to a one-year, $3.5 million contract, and while he doesn't play heavy minutes, this was the ultimate bargain if compared to some of his colleagues.
The Cavs struck great value with Thomas Bryant's contract
Getting a playable backup big man for less than $4 million a year is amazing value for this team. Other backup big men cashed out early on in free agency, with Jock Landale getting a one-year, $14 million contract, Jusuf Nurkic getting $22 million over two years, and Zach Collins getting a two-year, $17 million pact.
Whether Bryant is a better, more accomplished, more versatile player or will play more minutes than any of them remains to be seen, but it's hard to believe any of them will move the needle that much for any of their teams.
Filling depth spots at a bargain is paramount to having spending power for the guys who'll be out there for most of the game. And, knowing that they would have a legitimate shot at bringing LeBron James back, this was smooth operating by Koby Altman and company.
Bryant is coming off playing just 12.1 minutes per game in 60 appearances for Kenny Atkinson's team. According to Basketball Reference, he averaged 18.2 points, 10.1 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.9 steals, 1.3 blocks, and 2.3 three-pointers per 36 minutes, posting 50.6/35.9/80.3 shooting splits with an offensive rating of 126 and a defensive rating of 114.
Of course, he'll be much of a matchup-based/garbage-time guy for as long as Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley are out there and healthy. Then again, his ability to stretch the floor with his shooting range and his aggressiveness on the glass give this team a different look.
The Cavs still have some moves to make, and they will most likely just lurk in the shadows and sit patiently while the LeBron James situation unfolds. For now, it's refreshing to know that they have a legitimate chance to make the numbers work if he wants to come back home.
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