The Cleveland Cavaliers lost two rotation players on Tuesday night and have thus far done nothing to replace them.
The opening hours of NBA Free Agency kicked off with a whimper more than a bang. It took nearly a half hour before a single transaction was announced, and only a handful of players signed contracts with new teams. Of those players, two of them were fleeing the Cavaliers.
Keon Ellis has left the Cavaliers
Keon Ellis kicked off the exodus, signing a two-year, $18 million contract with the Brooklyn Nets. Ellis was seen as the centerpiece of the De'Andre Hunter trade in February, and when Cleveland traded for him, it was largely expected that they would sign him to a long-term contract.
That did not happen, in part because of how Ellis played in Cleveland and in part because of the Cavaliers' other machinations to line up a run at LeBron James. At 6'4" but only 174 pounds, Ellis was too light in the shorts to defend anyone but small guards, and even then, he often struggled. He had length and good movement skills, but his complete lack of heft and strength put him at a significant disadvantage.
The Cavaliers decided that major disadvantage was untenable, especially given the other players on the roster and the need for wing defense. Ellis couldn't be that guy for Cleveland, and so they didn't even blink as he walked in free agency and signed with the Nets.
Dean Wade is gone
Dean Wade's deal came later in the evening. The reporting for days leading into free agency was that Wade and the Cavaliers, the only team he has ever played for, were working furiously to put together a contract. Perhaps Wade would have accepted less to stay with the only franchise he has ever known.
However the negotiations broke down, they certainly fell apart, and Wade found a new home shortly after free agency began. He is signing a four-year, $39 million contract with the Philadelphia 76ers, with future years holding just partial guarantees.
Wade should thrive in Philadelphia on a team in desperate need of forwards, and his combination of shooting and defense makes him an excellent fit with Joel Embiid. He can regularly check the opponent's most dangerous frontcourt player, and his secondary rim protection will further boost an already dangerous defense.
Cavaliers have been silent
The Cavaliers, for their part, are left standing with nothing. They have yet to work out a new deal with James Harden, they are a secondary option for LeBron to join in free agency, and their depth pieces are being poached off of them. For a team in need of something new, they are wallowing in the old.
Neither Ellis nor Wade is truly irreplaceable, but together the Cavaliers will be hard-pressed to fill their very different defensive roles with consistent shooters. Such players don't grow on trees. That's why both Brooklyn and Philadelphia invested money in those two players.
As the clock turns to Wednesday, it's time for the Cavaliers to figure out their plan and start moving. If they don't, their depth will be gone and their options nonexistent.
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