Mark Duncan l Associated Press

When LeBron James returned to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the water in Cleveland became wine and the clouds turned golden. Everything was set in motion for the Cavaliers to become one of the top teams for years to come and the long-term sealing of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love made the outlook even brighter. LeBron James, on the other hand, has already hit his third decade on this Earth. As great as he is, the four-time MVP is still human. He gets tired, his body becomes less machine-like, and eventually, he will become a shadow of his old self. In order for the Cleveland Cavaliers to maintain their dominance, forward thinking and carefully planned steps must be undertaken. On that note, Cavs Nation listed out five things that the Cavs must do to prolong their elite

5. Spending wisely

The days of nightmare contracts in Cleveland are over, hopefully. All of the Cavs` contracts right now are relatively fair, barring a Tristan Thompson overpay, and that should be the trend going forward. Despite the fact that Dan Gilbert’s pockets are extremely deep, maintaining the team’s flexibility through decent deals is highly imperative as not only does it saves the team money but it also gives them tradeable assets just in case anything happens.

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Brad Penner l USA TODAY Sports

4 . Invest in draft picks

The Cavaliers aren’t expected to get a high pick in the coming years but that doesn’t mean they should squander all their future selections to trades. It’s a known fact that the second round of the draft is also teeming with potential and the Cavs have already made deals wherein they got themselves one or two second round picks in return. David Griffin and company are on the right track, draft wise, and they are expected to tread the same course in the coming years.

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3. Keep an eye on Europe

Europe is an excellent source of “rookie-veterans” who can immediately contribute to a contender and the Cavaliers are soon to witness the fruit of their patience with the impending arrival of Sasha Kaun. Another Cleveland asset that needs to be taken care of is the versatile Cedi Osman who could very well turn out to be another Shaun Livingston or Alexey Shved at the least. Also, having David Blatt is a tremendous asset as the grizzled coach possesses a great wealth of information about Europe’s diamonds in the rough.

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John Kuntz l Plain Dealer

2. Tap the youth

The young Cavaliers will need to be test-driven. The team don’t need another situation similar to Danny Green`s, who’s obviously thriving is San Antonio nowadays, and Anthony Bennett`s, who wasn’t even given a fair shake. This depends highly on the coaching staff and having another personnel looking after the youngsters could become useful down the road. Aside from the coaching staff, the Canton Charge is also a very good resource that the Cavaliers can exploit.

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Cary Edmondson l USA TODAY Sports

1. Heir to The King

As pointed out above, LeBron James is only human. His abilities will eventually succumb to Father Time and when he retires, the Cleveland Big Three will be badly broken. But all is not lost as that time remains quite far from today. New superstars will emerge and the Cavs must do everything to make sure they are prepared to find James` replacement. Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love’s continued improvement will also be crucial in the formation of a remodeled Big Three.