As they fill out their roster, the Cleveland Cavaliers could sign one of the standout players from the Paris Olympics. Initially, the thought was that Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson would bring over a player from France. Signing on to be an assistant coach for Team France this summer, he had an up close look at several prospective signings. Chief among these players was Guerschon Yabusele, whose physical transformation has helped him become more dynamic.
However, the Olympian that the Cavs sign may not be a player from Les Bleus at all.
“I had a source tell me that the Cavs were taking a look,” cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor says on the Wine and Gold Talk Podcast. “Not that they were going to sign him – but they were taking a look at Bruno Caboclo while he was playing for the Brazil national team.”
“That’s the level of scouting that they do, so it would make sense that they would have an interest in Guerschon Yabusele,” he continues.
Cavs Interested In Free Agent First-Round Pick Bruno Caboclo
Bruno Caboclo, named a 2024 Olympic Qualifying Tournament MVP ahead of the Paris Olympics, played splendidly in Lille.
Among the players in the men’s tournament, the 28-year-old ranked in the top-15 in points (17.3), rebounds (7.0), and blocks (0.8) per game. However, these numbers are skewed, as he only played 24 total minutes in the first two games of the Olympics. In the next and final two games that Brazil played, Caboclo averaged 31.5 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 1.0 block in 32.0 minutes per game.
This includes a 30-point performance against Team USA’s star-spangled roster.
Despite the loss, Bruno Caboclo was dropping buckets against Team USA. 🇧🇷 pic.twitter.com/72rf3HxEOj
— theScore (@theScore) August 6, 2024
With that being said, Caboclo would be an intriguing addition.
At 6-foot-9, he plays more like a center than a forward, largely operating out of the pick and roll. However, while he doesn’t have ideal height as a center, he’s athletic and has a real feel for the position. The league has started to lean more into traditionally-sized frontcourts. Nonetheless, the ability to switch defensively is still prized by teams. As a result, a player like Caboclo can be utilized situationally, if not regularly.
Dollars Making Sense
Yabusele can and wants to be signed by an NBA team. However, that team would have to pay a $2.5 million buyout to get him out of his contract with Real Madrid. With the way he played in the Paris Olympics, there are certainly teams that’ll entertain the idea. Yet, with the way teams are clutching their wallets, the dollars have to make sense.
In Yabusele’s case, they may not, as their depth at power forward is pretty solid.
“As of right now it’s Evan Mobley is the starting power forward, Georges Niang is the backup power forward, and then Dean Wade is also in the mix to be the backup power forward. So, I just don’t know based on this current roster construction if Cleveland is the team that would pay the $2.5 million buyout to turn around and sign (Yabusele) to be the last player on the roster.”
Still, Yabusele’s a better defender than Georges Niang. He plays with more fire than Dean Wade. If the goal is to build the best possible roster, then Yabusele arguably deserves the opportunity to beat Niang and Wade out for a backup role.
However, the Cavs could avoid that potentially hectic situation by signing Caboclo. For starters, he’s more suited for playing center, where Cleveland’s depth is thin. Furthermore, the big man isn’t expected to return to Partizan Belgrade next season, largely due to issues with nonpayment.
