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Cleveland Cavaliers: Breaking down a 3-year plan for the rebuild

By Tony Pesta

CLEVELAND, OH - FEBRUARY 5: Head Coach Larry Drew and Collin Sexton #2 of the Cleveland Cavaliers talk during the game against the Boston Celtics on February 5, 2019 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - FEBRUARY 5: Head Coach Larry Drew and Collin Sexton #2 of the Cleveland Cavaliers talk during the game against the Boston Celtics on February 5, 2019 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Cleveland Cavaliers (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
Cleveland Cavaliers (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /

The 2020-21 season

This season will be a very telling moment for the Cleveland Cavaliers. At this point in the rebuild, they should be seeing some noticeable improvements. If the team has failed to improve at all, it may be time to blow it up once again.

Best-case scenario:

Let’s continue the hypothetical scenario in which the Cavaliers selected Zion Williamson number one overall in the 2019 NBA Draft. This means Williamson is playing in his sophomore season and is quickly polishing his game.

His physical talents have already made him a great slasher, but his passing ability is making his teammates better and he is slowly developing a more reliable jump shot.

Collin Sexton and Cedi Osman are both making strides in their games. Sexton is improving at running an offense as a starting point guard and Osman’s confidence grows higher and higher.

Thrown into the mix with Williamson, Sexton and Osman is whatever player the Cavaliers selected in the 2020 NBA Draft. Assuming that this player was likely a lottery pick, he is hopefully having a successful season.

To top all of this off, Kevin Love has been having an All-Star season. This gives the Cavaliers the option to either keep Love and ride out his success, or, trade him while his stock is high and add more assets.

Worst-case scenario:

Now let’s dive back into the nightmare scenario. The Cavaliers whiffed big on the 2019 NBA Draft and have once again fallen deep in the lottery this year. Meaning, they likely wasted yet another season by missing their chance to build through the draft.

Unfortunately, this is just how the league works sometimes. This situation might not be ideal for the Cavaliers, but they still have a chance to turn things around.

This is when the Cavaliers fire sale will begin. Names such as Kevin Love, Tristan Thompson, John Henson and Jordan Clarkson will all hit the trading block (if they haven’t been traded already). Any player that isn’t critical to the rebuild will ultimately end up as an asset ready to be traded.

Meanwhile, Collin Sexton, Cedi Osman and whatever other young players the Cavaliers have drafted will all be on thin ice. Any of these players could be thrown into a trade if the price is right. For the 2020-21 season, these guys will be constantly trying to prove their worth in the rebuild.

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