2023 Offseason Potential Targets (FA and Trades)

[TheISHT]

Wanted to start a discussion about some fantasy trades and/or FA acquisitions this offseason.

My outlook on this team:

I feel DM and DG are not a compatible Championship backcourt......maybe if we had Lebron it would be feasible, but Bron ain't coming through that door nor is there any other superstar SF. One has to go, I loved our Trio of DG, Evan, and Allen.....but unfortunately, Koby sped up the timeline by trading all of our assets for Mitchell, but then acts like first-round exits are fine and the team needs time to grow. JB did not instill any confidence at all, but I just find it hard to really think of who the perfect coach for these two would be. I really can't think of any. I think our peak will honestly be Dame/CJ at best......and I don't know if it will ever get there......because neither player seems to play off the ball that well and it seems they prefer to have it in their hands. While Garland throws the oops that makes you go ooooh & ahhhh in the regular season, seems like that shit doesn't help in the playoffs. With the length most teams present across the board, I don't think having 2 smaller guards will ever truly work.

Backcourt Opinion: Start actively looking for the right trade. I'd gauge the value of both players and would not force a trade, but I'd be active and try to pull the trigger by the 2024 deadline.

My goal would be to get bigger. If everything seems okay with DM, I'd prefer to trade DG. While DG is great, he is not the type of max player that can carry you in the playoffs. He's not even a Brunson at this point.

While DM is by no means perfect, this is the boat Koby put us in, he mortgaged future years for players that truly don't fit together. I pick DM because, while not a true PG, he has enough handle to take over those duties and can pass well enough to make the defense pay. Not as natural as Garland and doesn't fling as many oops, but he makes you + size for the PG position and is switchable 1-3 in most match-ups.

If we don't trade DG, I really hope he is on a crazy strength program because he just isn't there physically.

Frontcourt Opinion:
Mobley and Allen do not fit together at all in today's game. They would have fit together fine in the '90s; maybe even early 2000s, but certainly not today. I'd look for Allen trades this offseason with a goal of trading him by 24 Deadline too. I wouldn't give him away or force myself into a trade, but that would be the goal. We do have time for him however since he's under contract for a while.

Those are the major decisions we need to make with our Core because of the timeline Koby pushed on us and the lack of assets to really improve. If we cannot really extract value for Allen if Evan ever appears ready for a Full-time center role (which I'm thinking would be 2+ years minimum), I'd move him to the bench and he'd be the first big off it.

If we don't trade Allen, dude needs to be in the Weight Room with DG and Evan, and they all need to be putting up 1000 3's a day with Okoro.

Ancillary Players Opinion

• Okoro - while nothing special, I would not use him as trade filler, with no value. Gotta keep working and hope he turns into 3 and D.
• Rubio - Have to hope he recovers from ACL and if not by the trade deadline, he should strictly be used as trade bait.
• Wade - Again, hope he recovers from the shoulder issue and shows he can shoot again. If he can, while not really a good full-time starter, I'd label him an 8th man type and spot starter at best. Again, if shot doesn't recover by tradeline, he'd be outbound with Ricky.
• Windler - I'd be tempted to pick up his option just for trade fodder, at this point, I never expect him to ever be healthy. I assume he has some type of congenital defect.
• Levert - Unrestricted FA - if this dude leaves and we get nothing back.....we are already doomed. Hoping for a sign and trade, but if I can't find one I'm bringing him back on a 3-year tradable deal. If we traded DG, he might be useful as a 6 man off the bench and emergency PG if needed.
• Merril - Meh - could be consolidated in a trade.
• Lopez, unless he can get his Brother to play alongside Evan for the MLE.....he should be gone.
• Isaiah Mobley - For now keep and see if he can develop keep Evan happy.
• Mama D. - For now keep, but cut if something better comes along
• Travers - I'd invite to Summer League and see if he's viable to sign since we are hurting so bad at the SF position. Could be trade fodder.
• Diop - I hate that name..... the same as Travers though, we need some beef on the frontline but not sure he's ready. Could be trade fodder.

Our MLE/BAE
I'm not really sure there will be any straight-up players to move the needle one way or another. I think everyone will be out of our price range and any of the really good dudes if they do take a paycut, I see going to Lakers, GS, Denver, Boston, Milwaukee, Knicks, Philly, etc. before they would come here since we seemed pretty far away in the playoffs.

Our Peak next season
If we don't change coaches or the core 4 at best we are a 2nd round exit, more likely we are in that 4/5 spot again and drop in the first round.

 

[TheISHT]

2023 Free Agents
Pozingis (38% 3p shooter) (PO)
Kuzma (PO)
Vucevic (35% 3p and 11 Reb game)
Grant (seems like an empty stat guy possible) (40% 3p)
Brook Lopez (would he opt out and come here for MLE without a trade)?
Cameron Johnson (40% 3p) (Restricted)
Harrison Barnes (37% 3p)
Miles Bridges (Rstricted and probably a Head Case)
Gary Trent Jr (37% 3p)
Christian Wood (38% 3p) but might be empty stats
Josh Hart (PO) (37% 3p)
PJ Washington (R) (35% 3p) Low number of rebounds concerning
Grant Williams (R) (39.5% 3p)
Naz Reid (35% 3 p)
KJ Martin
Thomas Bryant (44% 3P)
Max Struss (35% 3p)
Georges Niang (40% 3p)
Jae Crowder (44% 3pt)
Torrey Craig (39.5% 3p)
Alec Burks (TO) (41% 3p)
Yuta Wananbe (44% 3p)
Trey Lyles (36% 3p)
Devin Eubanks (39% 3p)
Keita Bates-Diop (39% 3p)
Dario Saric (39% 3p)


We have the MLE (12 Mill) & BAE (5 Mill) to work with. We also have Caris Levert who we might be able to double-sign and trade maybe.

MLE Candidate:
Hart
Crowder
KJ Martin (Okoro replacement)
Barnes

BAE Canidate:
Saric
KBD
Eubanks (To protect Mobley)
Thomas Bryant (Assume he gets more)
Struss

Any chance if Boston loses tonight, they pick between Tatum and Brown with their massive extension looming? Would they have any interest in Garland and Allen? Say for Brown and Grant Williams?

What about the Nets? Cam Johnson looking to get a big deal this summer. Any chance Garland and Okoro would interest them for Cam and Bridges? Garland could theoretically work with Ben Simmons (if he'd play a ball-handler role and SF on defense).

Pretty sure the Raps are keeping Freddy, but if he somehow got away, would they be potentially interested in Garland + Okoro for OG and Gary Tret Jr swap?

What about Charlotte and possible Garland and Allen? PJ Washington, Miles Bridges, and even Ball (interest from a size standpoint),

Not even sure with all the moving parts if there was a way to get any of this to work since the crazy contracts, Options, and CBA changing. I just hope there is some filling out of the roster that makes logical sense.

Almost any signing or trade we do needs to up our team's shooting.

 

[Jscc]

I'm keeping DG, DM, and Mobley as untouchable.

I'd like them to go after three bench shooters. One of them being a stretch big. I have Josh Richardson and Dario Saric in mind.

I'd put JA on the table for the right wing. I like Jerami Grant, but I'm not sure he'd be worth JA in a sign and trade with Portland.

We also need a backup big bodied center like a Harrison Bryant that exists to rebound.

 

[TheISHT]

I'm keeping DG, DM, and Mobley as untouchable.

I'd like them to go after three bench shooters. One of them being a stretch big. I have Josh Richardson and Dario Saric in mind.

I'd put JA on the table for the right wing. I like Jerami Grant, but I'm not sure he'd be worth JA in a sign and trade with Portland.

We also need a backup big bodied center like a Harrison Bryant that exists to rebound.

I just can't see a path to winning with them both in the backcourt. I can't see JA really netting us anything worthwhile and other than Mobley.....our frontcourt is extremely thin.

 

[Jscc]

I just can't see a path to winning with them both in the backcourt.

I do. DG and DM have been together for one year and had the most efficient seasons of their respective careers. DG shot 40%+ from 3 with 21/7 and Mitchell shot 38% from 3 with 28/4/4. DG is 23 and DM is 26. You're not going to find their particular combination of skill and youth at the wing/guard position anywhere else in the NBA except Brown and Tatum.

They need spacing, xo's, and more team rebounding, not broken up.

 

[TheISHT]

Except Brown and Tatum are versatile and 6'8 and switchable who don't rely on dribbling the ball so much compared to Donovan and Darius....comparing apples and oranges. Last time I checked there is only 1 ball to dribble and offense and defense is played. Neither played great in the playoffs, both are way too easy to disrupt.

 

[Bob_The_Cat]

Except Brown and Tatum are versatile and 6'8 and switchable who don't rely on dribbling the ball so much compared to Donovan and Darius....comparing apples and oranges. Last time I checked there is only 1 ball to dribble and offense and defense is played. Neither played great in the playoffs, both are way too easy to disrupt.

This is where the XO's part comes in. Brown and Tatum would probably be pounding the rock for JBB because he doesn't know how to construct an offense.

 

[Jscc]

Except Brown and Tatum are versatile and 6'8 and switchable who don't rely on dribbling the ball so much compared to Donovan and Darius....comparing apples and oranges. Last time I checked there is only 1 ball to dribble and offense and defense is played. Neither played great in the playoffs, both are way too easy to disrupt.

A few points here:

- There is only one package like Tatum and Brown in the league. The Cavs have the next best package. Other teams have guard/wing tandems that are either collectively older [i.e. Kawhi/PG, Curry/Klay, Booker/KD] or lack something like one of them or both can't shoot, are sub-par playmakers, or can't play off-ball [i.e. Young/Murray]. DG and DM are young, can shoot at elite levels, make plays, and play off-ball.

- Brogdon, Horford, White, Hauser, Williams, and Pritchard combined for 50/137 [38%] threes against Philly. Cedi, Okoro, Wade, Rubio, Neto, Mobley, and Stevens combined for 10/37 [27%] threes against NY. If you swapped Boston's shooters with Cleveland's, Tatum and Brown would be doing a lot more dribbling too.

- I'm not concerned about any mismatches the defense might hunt with a DG/DM back-court. On most nights, they're going to out-score and out-produce whoever is hunting them anyway. Especially if they have shooters. DG and DM aren't Trae Young level defenders either. They actually try. Anyway, a good 3&D wing should shore perimeter defense up.

 

[ryanf]

just me thinking of wing players who might fit and are attainable:
- dillon brooks (if his value continues to crash, taking a gamble using the MLE is worth it)
- kenyon martin jr
- torrey craig
- keita bates-diop
- tj warren

 

[Mott the Hoople]

Double S&T LeVert for Jerami Grant

 

[Dr No]

We have to get spacing to make the DM & DG duo work. Mobley looks to be a few years away (if ever) from being a spacer, but we know he’s staying. We can only afford to have 1, maybe 2, other non-spacers in the rotation. Someone needs to go. What we can’t keep doing is trotting out Allen, Mobley, Okoro, Rubio, & Stevens in our top 10 players.

 

[NMCav]

Cavs should target Thomas Bryant. He's a center who can space the floor. He's shot 40% from 3 in 3 of his 5 nba seasons. He's the type of backup big we should target. As he's affordable and a floor spacer in the front court.

 

[stick]

Off-season ideas
> Overhaul the coaching staff.

> Explore possibility of trading into the lottery (10- Dallas? 11 - Orlando?) specifically for Taylor Hendricks. I would love to see Hendricks on the Cavs as much as I loved Tari Eason, if not more.

> Would love if there was a guard prospect in the second round that has a similar play style coming out of college as Monte Morris or Tyus Jones but I don't think such a player exists. Reece Beekman may be the closest, but Reece's shooting is subpar and below Tyus and Monte. If Cavs make and keep their second round pick this year, would like to see a bench scorer prospect, rebounding wing, shooter, or someone like Trayce Jackson-Davis if he's still there (23 year old prospect, so he could slip even though he was extremely productive in Indiana)

> Sign and trade Caris LeVert+? IF one of the following are sent to the Cavs (most unlikely):
- Cam Johnson
- Patrick Williams
- Jaden McDaniels
- Trey Murphy
- Taylor Hendricks

> Bring in at least one of the following via trade/free agency:
- Royce O Neale
- Grant Williams
- Bobby Portis
- Draymond Green
- Mo Bamba
- PJ Washington
- Alec Burks
- Bruce Brown Jr
- Thomas Bryant (I'm down with that @NMCav )

> Bring over Khalifa Diop if there's no bigs added via trade/free agency. Possibly bring over Luke Travers if the roster has been consolidated and roster spots are available.

> Explore possibility of TJ McConnell or Monte Morris during the trade deadline if Ricky doesn't have it.


I don't know the feasibility of these moves if Koby won't include a chunk of the current roster in trade talks. Even then... Some may be unlikely. First things first, I really want to see the coaching staff overhauled (maintain Greg Buckner if possible) sooner rather than later but it's not likely to happen this year.

 

[adam81king]

Cavs should target Thomas Bryant. He's a center who can space the floor. He's shot 40% from 3 in 3 of his 5 nba seasons. He's the type of backup big we should target. As he's affordable and a floor spacer in the front court.

I like Thomas Bryant, and all, but I'd hardly call him a floor spacing big. When he shot volume, he was absolutely crap at it (10% from 3). He seems to get "better" when he only shoots 1-2 per game.

 

[NMCav]

I like Thomas Bryant, and all, but I'd hardly call him a floor spacing big. When he shot volume, he was absolutely crap at it (10% from 3). He seems to get "better" when he only shoots 1-2 per game.

The year he shot 10% from three was his rookie year. He played 4.8 MPG and a total of 15 games. So a total of 72 minutes. Yes he has never had high volume. The most attempts per game he had was 2.1 3 pointers attempted per game in 27 MPG in 20-21 he also shot 42.9% that season. So no he doesn't shoot badly with volume. He's never shot with high volume. But if he can shoot around 40% on 2 attempts per game in around 20ish minutes that's a role the team needs and he will provide some spacing.