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Cleveland Cavaliers: 8 quality free agents who will accelerate rebuild

By Tony Pesta

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 10: Derrick Jones Jr. #5 of the Miami Heat looks on in the first half against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center on February 10, 2020 in San Francisco, California. 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. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 10: Derrick Jones Jr. #5 of the Miami Heat looks on in the first half against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center on February 10, 2020 in San Francisco, California. 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. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) /
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Cleveland Cavaliers (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
Cleveland Cavaliers (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /

7. Bobby Portis

In Chicago, Bobby Portis quickly forced his way into the starting lineup after a breakout season in 2017 made him a prolific stretch big. Locker room turmoil with the Bulls led to him being traded to Washington last season, where he averaged a career-high 14.3 points.

His showing with the Wizards was enough to earn a two-year, $30 million dollar deal with the New York Knicks. The only catch is, the Knicks retained a club option for his second year of the deal. As of now, it seems unlikely the franchise picks up the final $15 million, leaving Portis as an unrestricted free agent this summer.

This is because Portis regressed in many ways this season. His averages for points and rebounds both decreased while his 3-point percentage took a dip as well. While Portis deserves a majority of the blame, it’s hard to say he was set up for success in New York.

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The Knicks have made countless poor choices during their attempt to rebuild. Last summer, they made a mind-numbing decision to sign FOUR power forwards in free agency. This left Portis competing with Julius Randle, Marcus Morris and Taj Gibson for minutes in the frontcourt.

It doesn’t help that the Knicks were the worst 3-point shooting team last year. They made the fewest 3-pointers in the league while shooting the third-lowest percentage from deep. Only Morris connected on more than 100 deep balls and he only appeared in 43 games before being traded to the LA Clippers.

Portis served as the team’s second-best shooter, hitting 67 total 3-pointers. Of this bunch, 64 makes came on catch-and-shoot opportunities. This is where Portis was at his best last season. Unfortunately, limited spacing and a lack of playmakers around him made it difficult to have a high-impact.

He may see some of these same problems in Cleveland as the Cavaliers suffer from similar struggles in spacing and playmaking. However, Portis would be able to see more consistent minutes as a potential replacement for Tristan Thompson.

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