Scenario 2: C.J. McCollum for Kevin Love
The sharpshooting McCollum would be an excellent complement to LeBron and Kyrie’s ability to drive and dish.
McCollum is also great at creating his own shot – something Love (and anyone on the team not named LeBron or Kyrie) can’t do.
Like Lowry, he would be able to run the offense when LeBron and Kyrie are off the floor. It’s going to be paramount for Cleveland to address that this offseason, as we saw just how critical it proved to be when the second unit came in and leads disappeared in the blink of an eye.
McCollum is an unselfish player, both on the court and with his attitude. He wouldn’t have any trouble accepting the role of playing third fiddle and would provide a much-needed scoring boost at the shooting guard position, where J.R. Smith, Iman Shumpert and Kyle Korver all came up short in 2017.
The Canton-native is still only 25 years old and the best days of his career might be ahead of him. Something else to consider in this puzzle is that on the chance LeBron leaves, the Cavs do not want to be left with a bare cupboard.
McCollum is under contract through the 20-21 season. If LeBron were to leave in the summer of 2018, there have already been rumblings Irving would follow him at the first opportunity. Perhaps a lethal backcourt duo of Irving and McCollum would be enough to convince Kyrie to stick around. My guess is it’s a heck of a lot more appealing than what Irving and Love would look like as the only two star options.
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