Cleveland Cavaliers: 5 dream targets during 2018 NBA free agency

DeMarcus Cousins, C, New Orleans Pelicans

Considering their interest in DeAndre Jordan and the limited skill-set of Tristan Thompson, adding a top-tier center should be a priority for the Cavaliers this offseason. Who they decide to go after, however, is a complete unknown at this point in time.

So why not turn our attention to one of the NBA’s most dominant all-around centers? If you haven’t figured it out yet, I’m talking about DeMarcus Cousins, currently of the New Orleans Pelicans.

Now there’s one big glaring concern here. Cousins recently suffered a torn Achilles tendon, which carries a rather lengthy recovery time. Chances are he won’t be able to return to the court until the beginning of 2019, which is a long time to wait. Even for a player of Cousins’ caliber, it’s going to detract some teams from targeting the elite big man.

Are the Cavaliers willing to wait? Can they convince him to take less money considering his current injury situation? The money doesn’t really matter in this hypothetical scenario, but it’s all worth considering — even from a speculatory standpoint.

Assuming his recovery is going well and Cleveland whiffs on Jordan, Cousins would be an intriguing fallback plan. He’s an excellent rebounder, rim protector and offensive threat. Sounds like the perfect complement (or replacement) for James.