Cleveland Cavaliers: 5 moves to upgrade the roster for 2017-18

3. Scrape up veterans willing to take discounts

If the Cavs use their Bird rights to re-sign Korver, they’ll still have their taxpayer mid-level exception (projected to be worth $5.2 million) and minimum contracts to use to sign free agents.

We’ll get to possible targets for that mid-level exception in a second, but suffice it to say that like all LeBron James super-teams, the Cavs will be counting on ring-chasing veterans willing to accept steep discounts to round out their roster.

Unfortunately, as we saw in this year’s Finals, that line between “veteran ring chaser” and “washed up” can be difficult to navigate. Deron Williams, James Jones, Richard Jefferson, Andrew Bogut even Kyle Korver…none of them worked out particularly well.

However, perhaps with all this talk about a Warriors dynasty, the league-wide respect for what LeBron James just did in the Finals and even NBA commissioner Adam Silver saying the rest of the league needs to catch up, maybe — juuuuust maybe — a few notable veterans will consider taking a minimum deal if it means aiding Golden State’s greatest threat.

A defensive-minded big man like the San Antonio Spurs’ Dewayne Dedmon would be great, but he just opted out of his $3 million contract to earn a well-deserved pay day, so don’t count on him taking less, even to play for another title contender.

Nick Young is a fun name to consider, if only because him and J.R. Smith being on the same team would create an inescapably entertaining black hole of irrational confidence, but with a $5.7 million player option, the soon-to-be 33-year-old could make more by opting in and remaining with a Los Angeles Lakers franchise he loves, or earn more money elsewhere by opting out.

A guy like Taj Gibson would give the Cavs a little more defense and frontcourt versatility, but even if the Oklahoma City Thunder let him walk as an unrestricted free agent, the soon-to-be 32-year-old is far from washed up. He earned just under $9 million this year, and even with career earnings of $38.5 million, he might prefer the last big contract of his career before ring chasing.

So who else is available? A couple of more realistic options might include Memphis Grizzlies free agents Vince Carter and Zach Randolph.

The 40-year-old Vince Carter seems like a prime candidate to ring chase at this stage of his career, and although he’d be a concern for looking completely washed up by season’s end, he shot 37.8 percent from three-point range off the bench and has said he wants to play another two years. This would be a great addition…you know, assuming the Dubs don’t snatch him up first.

Z-Bo is more of a fan favorite for the Grizz, and there’s a possibility they re-sign him this summer just to make sure he finishes his career there. But entering his age-36 season, and with Memphis looking to transition into the next chapter past the Grit-N-Grind era, this might be the best time for a split between the two parties.

Z-Bo couldn’t hang with all these perimeter shooters in Golden State, but he’d be a nice bruiser off the bench if he were willing to accept a minimum contract. That’s definitely not a given though, after he averaged 14.1 points and 8.2 rebounds in just 24.5 minutes per game this season.

Taking such a massive pay cut would be like David West and Zaza Pachulia taking their shocking discounts to join the Warriors, only times 10, since Z-Bo is still good for his age.

Finally, if the Cavs aren’t over the moon about the idea of retaining Deron Williams after his 2-for-16 performance in the 2017 NBA Finals, an alternative playmaker could be Sergio Rodriguez. He didn’t exactly live up to his reputation as a long range sniper with the Philadelphia 76ers this year, but he still shot a respectable 36.5 percent from deep.

With Ben Simmons and Jerryd Bayless returning healthy, the Sixers are unlikely to re-sign Rodriguez, and with league-wide interest in the 31-year-old feeling pretty lukewarm, he could be a player willing to take a discount to be the Cavs’ third playmaker and a threat from downtown.

Again, the options aren’t great here, and some of them seem unlikely to even come to fruition. Looking back though, you could say the same about the veteran hodgepodge the Cavaliers used to round out their roster in 2016-17, so they might as well give it a try with some new faces.