In order to close the gap on the Golden State Warriors and keep LeBron James happy, here’s what the Cleveland Cavaliers need to do to upgrade the roster.
As long as the Cleveland Cavaliers have LeBron James, they will rule the Eastern Conference with an iron fist. Unfortunately, as long as this Golden State Warriors leviathan remains intact, the Cavs are just competing for second-best.
Coming off a one-sided five-game defeat in the 2017 NBA Finals, Cleveland is left wondering how it can possibly close the gap on one of the greatest teams of all time. The Cavaliers are no pushover, but they’re not nearly good enough to threaten the new golden standard, and with LeBron James approaching his age-33 season, the clock is ticking.
No one will ever take that 2016 championship away from the Cavs, but it opened the door for the Warriors to sign Kevin Durant and usher in a new era of dominance. Aside from bad injury luck (which no one should wish for), only King James and his court stand in the way of Golden State cruising to the next 3-5 NBA championships.
LeBron is one of the all-time greats, but he only has a few years of peak performance left in him. The Cavaliers will be doing everything in their power to put an elite, championship-caliber roster around him before his prime finally ends — and to keep him in Cleveland after his 2018 free agency, since winning that 2016 title gave him the freedom to leave again one day.
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The only problem is, with so much long-term money committed to a great-but-not-elite roster and a bunch of aging, washed up veterans rounding out the roster, there’s no clear path for management to take.
The Cavs are already locked into $125.7 million of guaranteed money in 2017-18, and that’s with Kyle Korver, Deron Williams, Derrick Williams, James Jones and Dahntay Jones all coming off the books as unrestricted free agents.
Without the tools, athleticism or youth to keep up with the Warriors, there’s no time for the Cavaliers to back down, lest they risk King James seeking a new home for his next super-team. Bearing all this mind, here’s a look at five steps for the Cleveland Cavaliers to upgrade their roster.
Honorable Mentions: Buy into the second round of the NBA Draft, re-sign David Griffin as general manager