No. 3 Cavs offseason move that didn't work: Andrew Bynum
Back in 2013, the Cavs decided to sell the farm and tried bringing every free agent and former star player in to get things revved back up after LeBron's departure in 2010 left them in a difficult rebuild.
One of those key messes was deciding to sign Andrew Bynum to a two-year, $24 million deal. Bynum had been a rising star in the league and had been to three NBA Finals with the Los Angeles Lakers. However after his third year in LA, he got traded to the Philadelphia 76ers for then-star center Dwight Howard. After the trade, Bynum suffered a knee injury while bowling and was never the same kid.
He sat out the entire 2012-13 season when the Cavs decided to take a chance on the youngster the following. It completely backfired as Bynum played in only 24 games as a Cavalier and was nothing like the rising NBA star seen in the city of angels.
The Cavs traded Bynum to the Chicago Bulls by early January 2014. The Bulls released him the next day. The following offseason Bynum signed with the Indiana Pacers. He played in two games and never played again in the NBA. Talk about a fall from grace, Bynum was the poster child in the NBA.
During Bynum's Cleveland tenure, his fit and role with the squad was less than savory. From poor production to heaving halfcourt shots in practice in protest of then-head coach Mike Brown, Bynum was suspended indefinitely by the Cavaliers in his single season with the Land.
Bynum had been drafted out of high school back in 2005 and had a great seven-year career with the Lakers. He was only 26 years old when the Cavs took the chance on him. It's sad to see a player's career disappear overnight.
Thus, while a portion of the Cleveland Cavaliers fanbase may believe chasing a new star in trades may be the only path forward, trusting in internal growth and a new coaching system may be the right move for the franchise.