ESPN analyst Amin Elhassan recently described the Cavaliers’ salary cap situation by saying, “The Cavs are hopelessly capped out and are a luxury-tax payer, meaning they have only the taxpayer midlevel exception (roughly $3.5 million) to spend in a market where cash is plentiful.”
Sorry to the Cavs fans whose eyes lit up when they saw an article listing reasons why Dirk Nowitzki should come to Cleveland, but be more realistic.
Here are a few names of players who could help the Cavs and are more reasonable options to expect.
Shooting Guard: Courtney Lee
Lee is a free-agent and will turn 31 heading into the 2016-2017 season. The possibility of Lee coming to Cleveland depends on what J.R. Smith does in free-agency and if the Cavs choose to keep Iman Shumpert.
Shumpert is a player who could be brought up in trade talks, as the guard struggled offensively, but still was a great defender.
Lee averaged 9.6 points per game in 2015-2016, knocking down 38 percent of his three-point attempts. He played most of the season in Memphis before being traded to the Charlotte Hornets.
Smith is going to want a hefty contract considering the productive season and post-season he put together, so it may end up being one of those “painful business decisions” that team management so often has to make.
Small Forward: Nicolas Batum
If the Cavs were to add anything close to a star-caliber player, Batum would be one of the most likely options. The most realistic way they could pull this off is if they were to trade Kevin Love and free up cap room, so if you want to see Love stay in Cleveland, the small forward is not a likely option to come to Cleveland.
Batum may not seem like a star player, but he was one of the biggest reasons why the Hornets had so much success in 2015-2016. The 27-year-old averaged 15 points, six assists, and six rebounds per game. The 6’8″ wing player is a versatile defender who would be a good match against a team like Golden State.
If you want to see Love in Cleveland, don’t count on Batum being a possibility.
Power Forward: Ryan Anderson
While we’re on the subject of what the Cavs could do if they moved Love, Anderson is another possible player to use at the stretch four. He’s a less expensive, less impressive rebounding version of Love.
If the Cavs were to trade Love, they could sign Anderson and still have room left over to address other areas of depth on the team.
Anderson scored 17 points per game in 2015-2016 with the New Orleans Pelicans, shooting 36 percent from beyond the arc.
Here are a few names that the Cavs could consider without having to lose Smith, Shumpert, or Love.
Center: Roy Hibbert
Hibbert has not been the same player since his days with Paul George in Indiana, but the Cavs are going to be looking for a center to replace Timofey Mozgov, who will likely leave Cleveland this summer.
Cleveland could be a good fit for the 29-year-old, who blocked 1.4 shots per game in 2015-2016 with the Lakers.
The Cavs wouldn’t need him to play 20 minutes a game and there would not be much pressure on him. If he could just provide some valuable minutes off the bench, protect the rim and give Tristan Thompson a breather, it would be a solid pickup.
Most importantly as it relates to the Cavs’ salary cap situation, Hibbert would be an inexpensive option and might take less money in Cleveland to play for a championship contender.
Forward: Matt Barnes
In March of 2016, LeBron James said that the team was “missing an enforcer.”
Whether you like Barnes or not, if he’s on your team you know he’s going to bring an edge and a tenacity.
Barnes is a physical player with a bit of a temper and plays tough defense.
Perhaps Barnes is willing to take a bit of a pay cut, similar to what David West did with the Spurs heading into 2015-2016.
Forward: Caron Butler
Sticking with the theme of enforcers, if the Cavs want to go for a less expensive veteran, Butler would be a good candidate. He’s 36, but is revered around the league for his toughness and would be a great leader in the locker room.
Butler played 2015-2016 with the Kings, who were a bit of a circus, but coming to a team with a championship mentality could do wonders for the 13-year-veteran and he could be a great fit with the Cavs.
Butler would be an option at small forward and could play backup power forward. If the Cavs are looking for someone to bring intensity and attitude, he could be just the guy to do it.
Guard: Jason Terry
If the Cavs are looking for one more guy off the bench to knock down threes, who better than the Jet?
Terry is 38 and could be looking for one more chance at another title. He still can shoot the lights out, hitting 36 percent of his three-point attempts in 2015-2016.
There’s no reason to believe he would be out of the Cavs’ price range and if the Cavs need a third shooting guard to hit timely threes, he’d be a great option to consider.
None of these names may jump off the screen as HUGE pickups, but the reality is when a team is over the salary cap, still has to re-sign players from last season, and is fresh off of winning a championship, it’s not the best time to be thinking about making a splash in free-agency.
However, the guys mentioned above could all be good fits to consider heading into 2016-2017, as the Cavs look to defend their title and go back-to-back.
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