The Cleveland Cavaliers couldn't get their hands on LeBron James, but they can at least now focus on the rest of the roster. With or without The King, there was still plenty of work to do in Northeast Ohio.
Notably, moving on from Dennis Schroder should be one of the first orders of business. The veteran point guard was great at first and borderline unplayable for the last month of the regular season and the playoffs, and that's not the type of volatility any team would welcome.
With a big salary and two years left on his deal, the writing is on the wall. Now, finding someone to take his deal is the tricky part, but finding an ideal replacement might actually be easy. In fact, he might be on their own division.
While the Cavaliers look for someone to absorb Schroder's salary, they should set their sights on Chicago Bulls' guard Tre Jones. He's the prototypical backup point guard and would be a seamless fit in Kenny Atkinson's system.
The Cavaliers should replace Dennis Schroder with Tre Jones
The Cavs tried their luck with the scoring backup point guard, and it didn't work. Now, they must change their approach. In Jones, they'd get a cerebral guy who won't turn the ball over or make many mistakes, even though he will be far less aggressive as a driver and scorer.
That might actually be for the best. The Cavs need shot creators and glue guys who can keep the ball moving; they already have enough finishers. Jones would simply set up the table for everybody else to get into a rhythm.
Of course, that doesn't mean he won't put the ball through the hoop. If anything, he's coming off averaging a career-best 14.1 points and 5.4 dimes per game on 55 percent from the floor and 31 percent from beyond the arc.
The Bulls are a rebuilding team, and they've made it clear they're willing to take on bad contracts as long as they come with draft capital and/or young players. Likewise, all players not named Caleb Wilson and Matas Buzelis are probably up for grabs.
The Cavs don't seem to trust Craig Porter Jr., and Tyrese Proctor is more of an off-ball threat with his three-point shooting. And while Jones may not be a flashy or uber-athletic guy, he's the type of intelligent playmaker who knows how to get his guys the ball in the spots they need it to be at their best.
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