Cleveland Cavaliers: 3 moves to make with LeBron James leaving
By Ryan Piers
3. Shift focus to free agency
Even with James leaving, Cleveland lacks cap space. The franchise is not longer cemented in luxury tax hell, but only has the ability to only re-sign its own free agents or use the mid-level exception ($8.6 million) or minimum contracts to sign outside targets.
It’s a familiar place for the Cavaliers, a team more concerned about competing rather than the ramifications of overspending. So, who is available at the MLE, which could quickly shrink to $5.3 million if the team re-signs Rodney Hood?
The list of names isn’t pretty. Joe Harris, a young forward with potential, recently inked a two-year, $16 million contract with Brooklyn. A comparable payer would probably be on the Cavaliers’ radar with LeBron walking.
Luc Mbah a Moute might be too expensive, but he could be a strong fit alongside Kevin Love as a forward. Yet, he is 31 years and not exactly a building block.
Michael Beasley, another unrestricted restricted free agent coming off a respectable season, is a couple years younger. He averaged 13.2 points and 5.6 rebounds in 22.3 minutes per game for the New York Knicks in a contract year. He’d fill LeBron’s spot as a bulky wing, but is combustible with a reputation of tainting locker room chemistry.
Tyreke Evans is an unrestricted free agents that could serve as James’ replacement, but he might be too expensive. In any case, the Cavs should only be looking for short-term deals, focusing on retaining cap space for when all these bad contracts come off the books.