The Cleveland Cavaliers’ plate is already full with all the Collin Sexton rumors alongside the NBA Draft buzz, but there’s more work to do this offseason.
According to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, the Cavs are considering unrestricted free agent Doug McDermott in free agency. McDermott is coming off the best season of his career, averaging 13.6 points on 39% shooting from 3-point distance for the Indiana Pacers.
Cavs fans should be very familiar with McDermott as he was among the prospects being thrown around in debates back in 2014 on who the team should draft. The Cavs only had a 1.7% chance at the top overall pick at the time, so conversations included the former Creighton star based on Cleveland’s realistic lottery projections.
One of the most glaring weaknesses by Cleveland in 2020-21 was their outside shooting or lack thereof. The Cavs finished seventh-worst in 3-point field-goal frequency. They were dead last in threes attempted per game and 3-point field-goal percentage. The team also recorded the third-fewest attempts from beyond the arc.
These numbers are horrendous, especially in today’s pace-and-space game.
McDermott is a low-maintenance guy who won’t disrupt the development of the Cavs’ youngsters. He projects to be a seamless fit alongside the young core as a veteran specialist.
In 2020-21, he earned $7 million with the Pacers. This is a fair amount for his services but it remains to be seen how desperate the Cavs are in acquiring him. Contenders will surely take a crack at him in free agency, which could leave the Northeast Ohio-based squad looking for cheaper options elsewhere.