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Cleveland Cavaliers: 2016 Offseason Grades

By Gerald Bourguet

Jun 16, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) reacts during the fourth quarter with guard J.R. Smith (5) against the Golden State Warriors in game six of the NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 16, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) reacts during the fourth quarter with guard J.R. Smith (5) against the Golden State Warriors in game six of the NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /
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Cleveland Cavaliers
Dec 30, 2015; Charlottesville, VA, USA; Oakland Golden Grizzlies guard Kay Felder (20) steals the ball away from Virginia Cavaliers guard Devon Hall (0) during the first half at John Paul Jones Arena. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports /

The Draft

The Cavaliers didn’t own their first round pick this year thanks to a three-team trade with the Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets in 2014 when they dumped Tyler Zeller, Jarrett Jack and Sergey Karasev — you know, the trade Cleveland made to clear out the requisite cap space to sign LeBron James, who just finished bringing the Cavs their first ever NBA championship.

Safe to say Cleveland has no regrets about missing out on the first round of this year’s draft, even if they need to inject some youth into the lineup at some point.

However, in the second round, the Cavs bought their way into the draft at No. 54 and got pretty solid value with Oakland’s Kay Felder. Cleveland signed him to a four-year, partially guaranteed deal.

As an undersized, 5’9″ point guard, Felder’s electric play is reminiscent of Isaiah Thomas. He’s a fiery competitor who’s lightning quick and can score from almost anywhere on the court, but unlike Isaiah Thomas, he brings the intensity and focus on the defensive end of the floor too.

Felder averaged 24.4 points, 9.3 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game in his junior season with the Golden Grizzlies, shooting 44 percent from the field and 35.5 percent from three-point range.

Watching him play, the Thomas comparisons are warranted — it may come in a small package, but he’s just pure, unadulterated fun.

At NBA Summer League, Felder didn’t have too much of a problem putting the ball in the basket over bigger defenders, averaging 15.3 points, 3.9 assists and 3.4 rebounds per game on 42 percent shooting — though he only converted 22.7 percent of his three-pointers.

If he can overcome his disadvantage in stature, spread the floor and fulfill his utmost potential as a long-term Mo Williams replacement at the backup point guard spot, this pick will have tremendous value.

Grade: B+

Next: No Deal For Delly

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