Cavalier Targets
This summer will be one filled with decisions for Cavalier management. No matter how you slice it this team cannot compete with this Golden State roster for the next handful of years. The Cavs need a jolt of athleticism and perimeter two-way play. J.R. Smith, Iman Shumpert, and Kyle Korver are simply not cutting it. The problem for Cleveland is that it's not all that easy to just stumble upon an elite wing, especially considering that the Cavaliers are almost $35 million over the salary cap. The Cavs will need to facilitate a trade, but they do not possess the assets to amount a return that is substantial enough to upend this all-time Warrior roster. They have just a few avenues that they can pursue, but there is no telling if any of them will lift them over the hump (or mountain), that is the Golden State Warriors.
Before I list the Cavs options this summer, I need to establish one thing. Simply put, Kevin Love is good. If the Cavaliers want to threaten the Warriors moving forward they need to have four All-Star caliber players on their roster, with Kevin Love being one of them. That means that he cannot be on the trade block. That leaves the Cavaliers with just a few assets with which a team *might* be intrigued by:
-Tristan Thompson ..... Despite his putrid Finals performance, Thompson can hoop. While scoring is not his forte, he adds tremendous value doing just about everything else. Let's just say that if he were on the Celtics this year rather than the Cavs, the Celtics may have been playing Golden State. He can be that level of a difference maker.
-J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert .... Neither of these two is valued too highly around the league. Both are subject to more than their fair share of bone-headed plays. But in the right environment (and their might not be one better for them than Cleveland), they could help a team catapult into the postseason.
Here are my thoughts on who Cleveland should pursue:
It has been rumored that the Cavaliers are interested in Paul George. But from everything that I have read that would mean that they would have to surrender Kevin Love. Like I said earlier that cannot happen. If the Pacers think Thompson, Shumpert, and a future pick is enough of a return for George, who is entering the final year of his contract, then the Cavs should pull the trigger, but that is highly unlikely.
One player who I think that Cleveland should target is Chandler Parsons. Parsons is a 6'10" athletic wing who currently plays for Memphis. He has been plagued (and that may be kindly put) by injuries the past few seasons so Memphis might be looking to get him off of their books. If Cleveland offered the Grizzlies Thompson and Shumpert, I think the Cavs could get Parsons from Memphis. Why? Because Memphis is petrified that after signing Parsons to a 4 year/ $94 million deal that his knee-ailments will totally derail his career. While that is a very real possibility, it is a gamble that Cleveland should be willing to take. Also, having Thompson to pair with Marc Gasol after Z-Bo departs in free agency would be a solid upgrade for David Fizdale and company. And for the Cavs, a starting five of Love, LeBron, Parsons, Smith, and Irving would be one to reckoned with, assuming that Parsons returns to full health.
The most dynamic option on the table for Cleveland would be to pursue either Damian Lillard or CJ McCollum. Portland might be looking to move on from one of the two given the defensive limitations of a backcourt with both of them in it. Prying away one of the two would become a game of salary cap gymnastics for Cleveland's front office, but if they could snag Lillard and move Irving to his more natural position of scoring guard, rather than point, the Cavs would become more dynamic. Ditto for McCollum, but in that case Irving would remain at point. If the Cavaliers aren't going to be able to stop Golden State, they better be able to score with them. Adding one of Portland's elite backcourt generals could tilt the balance of power in the NBA, and is another move the Cavs should certainly consider.
