While the Cleveland Cavaliers had a successful season, the ending had to be a complete bummer. The Cavaliers finished fourth in the Eastern Conference with a 51-31 record, marking the first time they reached the playoffs without LeBron James. But the Cavs were thoroughly dominated in their first-round 4-1 series loss to the New York Knicks.
Cleveland Cavaliers Looking To Upgrade Their Wings, Who Are Potential Targets?
Part of the problem for Cleveland was that their wings got exposed by New York. The biggest issue for the Cavaliers’ wings was their shooting. The Cavs’ shooting guards and small forwards combined to connect on 44.4% of their shots and just 33% of their 3-point attempts against the Knicks.
Donovan Mitchell was the biggest culprit. Mitchell made just 2.9 of 9.0 (28.9%) of his attempts from beyond the arc per game in the series. Isaac Okoro, Cedi Osman, and Danny Green all made fewer than 31% of their threes for the series. Overall in the playoffs, the Cavs averaged ten treys a game on 30.6 attempts. Both numbers rank in the bottom of the league among playoff teams.
Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman saw what the rest of the world did and realizes that the Cavs could add some pieces. Adding shooting and improving their bench are the biggest needs.
“We would love to add some level of shooting that could give our guys more space,” Altman told reporters.
#Cavs president Koby Altman emphasizes adding a level of shooting to stretch the floor, but also knows there is more development to come from their core talent in-house: “No roster is perfect.” pic.twitter.com/bqEMhhEDqM
— Spencer Davies (@SpinDavies) April 28, 2023
Cleveland isn’t expected to make any splashes. The Cavaliers had the third most efficient-starting lineup in the league. However, the Cavs’ bench was below average.
Cavaliers Salary Situation
Cleveland has ten players under contract for 2023-24. Caris LeVert, who had a solid series against the Knicks, is the Cavs’ top free agent. The team also has three players with nonguaranteed deals — Sam Merrill, Lamar Stevens (club option), and Osman.
According to Sam Amico of Hoops Wire, sources indicated that the Cavs will be looking to bring back LeVert, who has indicated he would like to stay in Cleveland.
“Absolutely,” LeVert said when asked if he has interest in returning next season. “That was something that we spoke about, me and J.B. (Bickerstaff) as well. I definitely want to be a part of this culture, be a part of this team. This group is a super special group and I definitely want to be a part of that. But you all know it’s a business, so we’ll see what happens this summer. I would love to come back.”
But Amico said sources have indicated Osman, slated to make $6.7 million, could be cut loose. Osman shot the ball well this year. However, the 28-year-old small forward doesn’t provide much else and is average defensively.
Green, Robin Lopez, and Raul Neto are also free agents. None of those three are expected to be in Cleveland next season.
The Cavaliers project to have around $12 million in cap space available. The Cavs don’t have a 2023 first-round pick, but they own a few valuable exceptions. They have a $12.2 million mid-level exception, a $4.4 bi-annual exception, and a $3.3 million trade exception.
Potential Wing Targets
With their open roster spots and considerable resources, the Cavaliers can bring in a quality wing. The Cavs could use their mid-level exception to pursue Josh Richardson, Jalen McDaniels, or Kelly Oubre Jr. With the new CBA rules, and they could also use it in a trade for someone like Royce O’Neal, Alec Burks, or Reggie Bullock.
Richardson is an unrestricted free agent. The 29-year-old wing started last season with the San Antonio Spurs before finishing the campaign with the New Orleans Pelicans. He is a player who can score in double-figures off the bench and averages 2.0 3-pointers a game at a 36.5% clip.
McDaniels is an unrestricted free agent who made less than $2 million last season. While the 25-year-old hasn’t been great for Philadelphia in the playoffs, he has been a solid rational player for the 76ers since coming over from Charlotte. The long and athletic wing is an energy player who can rebound and shoot the three.
Oubre is an unrestricted free agent, coming off a career year in 2022-23 though he was limited to 48 games. He is a high-volume scorer who loves to shoot threes. He averaged 20.3 points and 2.3 3-pointers for the Hornets with a shooting slash line of .431/.319/.740.
Other Free Agent Options
Cleveland has other potential options on the free-agent market.
It would be somewhat surprising if Dillon Brooks doesn’t stay with Memphis. The 27-year-old is an unrestricted free agent, but Memphis owns his bird rights. He was limited to 32 games in 2021-22 and is coming off his worst campaign in four campaigns this year. Brooks is a strong defender and tied his career-high with two threes a game, though he is only a 32.6% shooter from deep.
Jae Crowder is an unrestricted free agent. He sat out most of this season until getting traded to Milwaukee. The 32-year-old is a great defender and shot 43.6% from beyond the arc in 18 games for the Bucks.
Torrey Craig, a UFA, will likely remain with Phoenix as he seemingly has found a home. But the nearly 33-year-old has developed into a perimeter shooter and plays hard. Craig made a career-best 39.5% from deep this season. He’s 10-for-18 from beyond the arc during the 2022-23 playoffs.
T.J. Warren, a UFA, missed 2021-22 and split this past season with Brooklyn and Phoenix. The 29-year-old is more of a scorer than a shooter, but his career 3-point percentage of 35.4% isn’t alarming.
Donte DiVincenzo has a player option with Golden State. He has been very good in his lone season for the Warriors. Expect him to stay with the Dubs if they can afford him. If not, DiVincenzo will garner a lot of interest.
Max Strus is an unrestricted free agent and a designated shooter. The 6-5 wing averages 2.3 triples a game for his career while shooting them at a 37% clip.
Lonnie Walker IV is an unrestricted free agent. He lost his spot in the Los Angeles Lakers rotation down the stretch. Still, he can light up a scoreboard when he is hot.
