After taking a powder keg to their roster and rotations, the Cleveland Cavaliers were wheeling and dealing at the NBA Trade deadline by sending away six of their own players and bringing back four, all while keeping the coveted 2018 Brooklyn Nets first-round draft pick. The biggest message the Cavs made at the conclusion of the deadline is the fact that they are making moves to win now and for the future.
After getting three players that are only twenty-five in Jordan Clarkson, Larry Nance Jr., and Rodney Hood, the “youth movement” has been awesome so far for the Cavs, with the young trio rejuvenating the team and making them look like the elite of the Eastern Conference yet again in two statement wins over the Boston Celtics and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
While Clarkson, Nance, and Hood have all been huge in the Cavs righting the ship there are still some minor problems that could come back to bite the team when the NBA Playoffs roll around. Throughout the season, the team has struggled with defending the perimeter and giving up far too many offensive rebounds.
This was especially evident in the Cavs latest win against the Thunder, as they allowed the Thunder to hang in the game until the end by giving up easy three-pointers and Cavs center Tristan Thompson was eaten alive by Thunder big man Steven Adams by giving up four offensive boards in the first quarter and eight total to him:
While the Cavs did win the game 120-112, small mental mistakes like these are moves that can break the team’s back and kill any momentum on either side of the ball. As mentioned before, the Cavs were able to keep the Nets draft pick and this year’s NBA Draft has a slew of highly skilled big men that can easily fill the void the Cavs have at center and some skilled perimeter defenders as well. Players like DeAndre Ayton, Luka Doncic, Marvin Bagley, or even Michael Porter would look perfect alongside the Cavs youngsters and LeBron James.
But obviously, that does not fix the team’s problems now, as they look to win their second championship in three seasons as the NBA Draft is still almost half a year away. Holding onto the Brooklyn Pick while making improvements was truly a job well done. That said, the front office’s job isn’t done yet.
Thankfully for the Wine and Golders, with all of the moves they made at the deadline, they also opened up two roster spots that can be filled with veterans who have been bought out by teams.
With so many teams trying to bottom out their rosters to land a one of a kind prospect in the draft, the Cavs will have plenty of options to fill the final two roster spots. There will be plenty of big men, defensive specialists, and plenty of other players that will be on the buyout market and here are the best three options for the Cavs to fill out their roster:
3) Brook Lopez – C, Lakers – 11.9 Points, 3.9 Rebounds, 1.3 Blocks
Since it has been made perfectly clear in the past, LeBron James will not be joining the Lakers this upcoming offseason and will likely recommit to the Cavs for a myriad of reasons.
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But, hey, it is always fun to keep stringing along the Lakers brain trust of Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka into foolishly making moves to clear the books for this summer. Obviously, their first move was sending both Clarkson and Nance to The Land and all the while making it a lot harder for James to look away from the shores of Lake Erie because of it. To follow up their first “genius” act, the Lakers will likely end up buying out big man Brook Lopez to create more room for their future plans.
Lopez on the Cavs is a hypothetical that has been rumored for years. So far, there have not been any substantial reports of a buyout of the former NBA All-Star, since according to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, Lopez wants to stay with his hometown Lakers this season:
But unfortunately for Lopez, he may not have a choice as the Lakers have all eyes pointed towards this summer and next summer’s free agency and honestly his talents have been wasted in a lost season in Hollywood.
In his tenth season in the NBA, Lopez has always been an underrated center with career averages of 18.6 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks and an NBA All-Star appearance during the 2012-13 NBA season. He also has developed a bit of an outside game, with connecting on 1.6 three-pointers a game in the last two seasons alone. Always known as a steady offensive option, the ability to spread the floor would pair nicely alongside King James as the Cavs can decimate teams from beyond the arc with a unit of James, Lopez, George Hill, Rodney Hood, and Kevin Love.
Another thing Lopez would bring to the table is the fact that he has averaged 1.7 blocks over his career and that would be immediately be felt by a Cavaliers team that currently ranks 27th at 3.8 as a team per game. Lopez also can patch up the team’s inability to box out opposing big men, as he is a true center compared to Thompson.
The only reason Lopez is not at the top of this list is that of the fact he still is with the Lakers and has made it clear about wanting to stay with them. The thing is the Lakers front office, led by Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka, who are as incompetent as the Sacramento Kings front office (who almost ruined the Cavs getting future superstar Rodney Hood) and can continue to show their incompetence by helping the Cavs retain James beyond this season. It is only a matter of time before Lopez is bought out, and do not be surprised if he is the Cavs starting center soon after.
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2) Tony Allen – SG, Pelicans – 4.7 Points, 2.1 Rebounds, 0.5 Steals
A trade that was made before the deadline that did not make a ton of noise was the Chicago Bulls agreeing to send stretch four Nikola Mirotic to the New Orleans Pelicans for Omer Asik’s horrendous contract, Jameer Nelson, a 2018 top-five protected first rounder, and Tony Allen. All the Bulls really wanted in this trade was the first rounder, as they traded away Nelson to the Pistons and then decided to waive Allen on February 1:
In his fourteenth season in the NBA, Allen has played sporadically with the Pelicans, only appearing in twenty-two games for Crescent City and this is mostly because he fractured his left tibia against the Philadelphia 76ers and has been facing some complications from his recovery. But, while in action with the Pellies this season, the thirty-six-year-old was a huge factor for their defense, with the team posting a defensive rating of 103.7 with Allen on the floor, the top figure among all Pelicans players who have logged at least 100 minutes, compared to a mark of 107.7 with him on the bench.
At this point in the season, Allen should be fully recovered from his injury, the Cavaliers should definitely be in conversations with him to join the team’s locker room for a playoff run. The biggest thing Allen brings to the table is obviously his defensive ability, something he has been touted for his entire career and even earned him the nickname The Grindfather during his time with the Memphis Grizzlies. He would be huge in helping the team’s woeful perimeter defense and could easily complete a stalwart defensive lineup by joining George Hill, Rodney Hood, LeBron James, and Larry Nance Jr to be the antithesis of the Golden State Warriors fearsome “Lineup of Death”.
The other thing that Allen would bring is a stable veteran for a Cavs’ locker room that needs a veteran leader after trading Channing Frye to the Lakers for Clarkson and Nance.
Frye was huge for the Cavs winning their first ever NBA Championship and the city’s first in over five decades as someone who could ease the tension alongside Richard Jefferson, who the Cavs traded to the Denver Nuggets this summer to make room for Dwyane Wade. With Frye now gone, the Cavs need some veterans to keep the team level headed and Allen would be the perfect player to foot the bill.
The only drawback to signing Allen is his offensive game, which has been a detriment his entire NBA career. But his knack for defense and veteran leadership would be huge for the Cavs and he would serve a vital role in the team contending for yet another NBA Championship. After all those years in Phoenix, it goes without saying that a Champion like Chandler craves competition.
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1) Tyson Chandler – C, Suns – 6.5 Points, 9.5 Rebounds, 0.6 Blocks
The player that should be at the absolute highest of the Cavs’ wishlist for buyout candidates is Phoenix Suns big man Tyson Chandler. While he currently is still on the Suns’ roster, they have made it painfully obvious that they are looking to tank after shipping out Eric Bledsoe, arguably one of the best players on the team, for a laughable return from the Milwaukee Bucks of Greg Monroe and a second-round draft pick.
Originally, Chandler was brought in to be an enticing piece to lure LaMarcus Aldridge in free agency but Aldridge ended up with the San Antonio Spurs and are still paying Chandler $26 million over the next two seasons. If the Suns are planning on bottoming out they should at least do Chandler the favor of letting him spend the last season or two of his career competing for an NBA Championship
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There is a multitude of reasons for why Chandler should be bought out but the biggest ones are his knack for defense and the overwhelming veteran leadership he could bring to the team’s locker room, much like Allen before. The thing is, Chandler dresses a more serious problem of rebounding for the Cavs, where they currently rank twenty-third.
Chandler was no slouch in either in his prime, as seen below, and there is always a good chance he can tap into the player he once was:
Also like Allen, Chandler brings a lot of championship pedigree to the table as he won one with the Dallas Mavericks at the conclusion of the 2010-11 NBA season. Adding more NBA Championship winning veteran’s, especially one that is probably desperate to play for a winning organization again, would be huge for the Cavs and their roster.
In the end, the Cleveland Cavaliers and all their fans are over the moon after the deadline moves the team made to acquire George Hill, Rodney Hood, Jordan Clarkson, and Larry Nance Jr. The benefit that also comes with the moves is the fact that the Cavs also cleared up two roster spots to add veteran players that can complete a nearly full roster.
With the earlier trade deadline, teams are left with plenty of time to explore plenty of options. Some of the best options out there for the Cavs include Lakers center Brook Lopez, former Pelican Tony Allen, and the always stalwart defender in Tyson Chandler of the Phoenix Suns. Getting any combination of these players would be huge additions to fix some small problems that still hamstring the Cavs and also give them a strong veteran presence in the locker room as well.