2020 Free Agency

[jbk1234]

As this is last year the Cavs 1st can convey, and the Cavs have $58M in expiring contracts, I found this list to be interesting.

https://hoopshype.com/2019/07/18/nba-free-agency-2020-the-top-players/?utm_source=smg&utm_medium=wasabi&utm_content=home-latest-news

I don't agree with the rankings, they've got old guys ranked way too high IMO, but you can see that the Nets and Nuggets have some tough decisions in front of them given their cap situations.

Something to keep an eye on.

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[Revenged25]

I don't know why I thought LaVert was a SG intead of a SF. Well for the Cavs I would say the best targets are in order:

Caris LeVert, SF Brooklyn Nets RFA
Cedi Osman, SF Cleveland Cavaliers RFA
Brandon Ingram, SF New Orleans Pelicans RFA
Dario Saric, PF Phoenix Suns RFA
Taurean Prince, SF Brooklyn Nets RFA

LeVert was having a breakout season before a freak ankle injury. He had a big series against the 76ers in the playoffs though and if he is able to build upon that while Durant is out, he's going to get multiple max offers from teams and I doubt that Brooklyn would be able to match it considering the contracts they'd have in Durant, Irving, Dinwiddle, Jordan, as well as still having to pay Harris and possibly Prince as well, though he would probably be cheaper and the one more likely to be kept. Though he's likely going to be a very hot commodity in FA the Cavs might be able to use his connection to Beilein and being from Columbus to sign him.

Cedi is a solid player that hopefully plays to average starter level this year, has the tools and seems happy in Cleveland so that's a big boost in wanting to keep him around.

Ingram has the talent and can score, but obviously health concerns would be a big reason to stay away. Unless he either gets a great medical check-up or plays at an all-star level I don't think he'll require maxing, but NOP might just match most contracts if he's even just an average starter.

Saric is the only PF on the list that was young enough and had a similar enough skillset to Love, that wasn't 100% getting maxed out/matched, that I thought could be a decent target. He has a lot of the same tools as Love and if we can get him for a decent price to be Love's back-up/starter when he's injured/load managed, he could end up developing into a long term replacement.

Prince has the tools to be a good 3 & D SF in the NBA, effort can be an issue for him on the defensive side of the ball though so that's why he's last on the list. I think either Prince or LeVert won't be with the Nets next year, most likely LeVert, but if they do match offers on LeVert then Prince will be available and could be a good player if they can get him to give consistent defensive effort, possibly at a reasonable price as well.

[substancej]

I think Derozan would be the perfect target for the Cavs. Any kind of swingman would fit in Beilein's system.

[Revenged25]

I think Derozan would be the perfect target for the Cavs. Any kind of swingman would fit in Beilein's system.

He would be a horrible target. He would be stealing minutes from our young players and unless one of them shows to be an All-Star and the other nothing but a 6th man, taking minutes away would be dumb when we aren't ready to push for a title/deep playoff run.

[substancej]

I think Derozan would be the perfect target for the Cavs. Any kind of swingman would fit in Beilein's system.

He would be a horrible target. He would be stealing minutes from our young players and unless one of them shows to be an All-Star and the other nothing but a 6th man, taking minutes away would be dumb when we aren't ready to push for a title/deep playoff run.

Bad / dumb take. Derozan is provably better than anyone on our team. Gilbert doesn't want a longterm rebuild.

[jbk1234]

I think Derozan would be the perfect target for the Cavs. Any kind of swingman would fit in Beilein's system.

He would be a horrible target. He would be stealing minutes from our young players and unless one of them shows to be an All-Star and the other nothing but a 6th man, taking minutes away would be dumb when we aren't ready to push for a title/deep playoff run.

Bad / dumb take. Derozan is provably better than anyone on our team. Gilbert doesn't want a longterm rebuild.

We drafted 4 guards in the first round in a 14 month span. If the Cavs have to spend money on a guy like DeRozan, something has gone very, very wrong.

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[jbk1234]

As far as Saric and Ingram, I'd pass on both unless they signed for team-friendly deals. I love Ingram's game but the guy just had major surgery related to a condition that could end his career. Saric is a homeless man's version of Love. He's barely a replacement level PF.

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[Stillwater]

Lavert has the Beilein connection but has too much injury history for anyone to offer enough for him to leave the Nets Unless they dont offer enough to keep him. Prince is maybe a target for Cle if he can be had for rotation salary but not if KD is recovering slower than expected where Nets pay him starter money.
I really dont see Cavs having as much cap space as it would be as is without deadline deals...
i think they will eat a couple 2 yr contracts with meh 1st draft assets attached moving out the expiring's of Thompson and Knight with a possibility of Clarkson as well if it gets them a high upside project big or glue guy.
I think 2021 might be the timeline goal off season for free agency in Cleveland

[jbk1234]

Lavert has the Beilein connection but has too much injury history for anyone to offer enough for him to leave the Nets Unless they dont offer enough to keep him. Prince is maybe a target for Cle if he can be had for rotation salary but not if KD is recovering slower than expected where Nets pay him starter money.
I really dont see Cavs having as much cap space as it would be as is without deadline deals...
i think they will eat a couple 2 yr contracts with meh 1st draft assets attached moving out the expiring's of Thompson and Knight with a possibility of Clarkson as well if it gets them a high upside project big or glue guy.
I think 2021 might be the timeline goal off season for free agency in Cleveland

I don't know how much teams will value cap space in 2020. The Knicks will have a ton of it to sell.

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[Richfield]

Lavert is great I love him but the Nets have plans for him and I don't think he's very attainable.

DeRozan is a good guy who seems to have peaked. He took 17 shots per game last year, was up to 21 in Toronto at one point. And unless b-ref is broken, he shot under 16% on 3 pointers last year. He's a fine finisher and that is what I want but the role he thinks he should be in on a basketball team is probably more set in stone in the wrong place and is not the role he should have, especially on this Cavs team where we're trying to develop young talent. No need to watch him going one on one when they need to be learning how to make plays in the NBA. Definitely not worth using a ton of cap space on if we have high expectations for the future. I think there will be guys (unknown which at this point) more deserving of that high percentage of our cap.

[Stillwater]

IN my opinion the Cavs are not even thinking about 2020 free agency until they see what they have and start making calls on pros and cons of taking on salary for draft assets by dumping expiring's at the deadline which they have a ton of. Even if they only dump one of them if there is less interest than normal it's still more likely than just letting everyone expire for nothing. Unless they literally believe they can throw the max at Siakim or a near max at Sabonis and get 1 of them... Personally I think Toronto will match anything Siakim is offered but Indy on the other hand may not do the same with Sabonis, so I guess I could see the Cavs playing that card and going for it.
My impression is right now they also may be content next summer with letting all of them walk and filling up the roster spots with undrafted free agents fishing for gems with expectations to remain in full rebuild mode for another 2 years.
I am no longer of the opinion they are interested in a quick rebuild, if they were they would not be bringing in 3 rookies to tc
& would have made trades for more win now players.

[jbk1234]

Levert extended. The Cavs need to figure out what they have with Cedi this season because the chances of him getting a dumb offer from another team just went up.

[Revenged25]

The 2020 FA is soooo bad, especially now. The Cavs are going to be in a tricky spot where they could put the franchise in a hole they won't be able to escape from for a decade. Almost like the first year that the Cavs really had money for FA with LeBron. They overpaid players to try and get LeBron help and it ended up causing a vicious cycle that they are just now really out of. If they aren't sold on any of the FAs from this class in the long term, hopefully just pull what Philly did with JJ Reddik and offer a vet that fills a need a 1 yr 25 mil contract to hit the cap floor than pay someone big long term money.