3 players the Cleveland Cavaliers missed in day one of free agency

Are the Cavaliers playing this offseason too safe?
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3. Royce O'Neale

The Cavaliers' long-standing interest in sharpshooting wing Royce O'Neale likely came to a close when he joined the Phoenix Suns at the last trade deadline, but the possibility of adding a former teammate and close friend of Donovan Mitchell still remained a hopeful path this summer.

O'Neale entered free agency an unrestricted free agent, meaning he could be pulled away from Phoenix with the right deal and situation. Instead, he chose to re-sign with the Suns for $44 million over four years. This number would have likely been higher than the Cavs could have offered, making O'Neale an unrealistic target.

Should O'Neale have entertained the Cavs, though, the veteran sharpshooter could have elevated Cleveland's perimeter lethality tenfold. O'Neale shot 37 percent from deep last season on 5.2 attempts per game. He also averaged 5.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists after joining Phoenix. Over the past few years, O'Neale constantly emerged as a trade target for the Cavs, though they could never finalize a deal with the Brooklyn Nets.

This summer presented an opportunity for the Cavs to bring O'Neale to The Land without needing to sweet talk another team into a trade. Unfortunately, the Suns are not in any position to lowball their own free agents with Bird Rights. Phoenix quickly outbid O'Neale's market and locked the 30-year-old veteran up for the long term.

The Cleveland Cavaliers still have plenty of underrated free agents to target this summer, but the list of available players is growing thin as the Cavs negotiate internal deals and extensions. It is highly unlikely the Cavs spend the entire offseason silent, but there is nothing pointing to sweeping changes coming to Cleveland's personnel. Rather, the front office may target low-cost veteran players on short-term contracts.

1 dream, 1 reach, 1 realistic wing trade target for Cavaliers. 1 dream, 1 reach, 1 realistic wing trade target for Cavaliers. dark. Next