Cleveland Cavaliers
Key additions: Collin Sexton (draft), Channing Frye (free agency), David Nwaba (free agency), Sam Dekker (trade)
Key subtractions: LeBron James (free agency), Jeff Green (free agency), Jose Calderon (free agency)
Sorry, but anytime you lose the best player in franchise history (for a second time), everything that happens over the rest of the summer has to be viewed through that lens. As such, the Cleveland Cavaliers arguably had the worst summer in the NBA — regardless of what they did in the draft or free agency.
To be fair, Collin Sexton set the world on fire during NBA Summer League, and looks like he’ll pick up LeBron James’ mantle as the next face of the Cavs. David Nwaba and Sam Dekker were worth extended looks, and Channing Frye at least returns one familiar face.
But after losing the King, it was time for another roster blowup. The desire to remain relevant is understandable, but after months of watching LeBron drag arguably his worst supporting cast to the Finals, it was pretty apparent striving for a bottom-rung playoff spot — a difficult task for this group, even in the East — shouldn’t have been the goal.
Because of this, Kevin Love‘s extension only makes sense if the Cavs are trying to emulate what the Los Angeles Clippers pulled with Blake Griffin, re-signing him to a long-term deal that a team desperate for talent was willing to trade for down the line. No matter your opinion on the Love extension or his place among the league’s great players, this summer was one double-sized L that could be summed up as “losing LeBron.”
Grade: D+