What FREE AGENTS should the Cleveland Cavaliers sign?! | Locked On Cavs Podcast

What FREE AGENTS should the Cleveland Cavaliers sign?! | Locked On Cavs Podcast

on today’s show the Cleveland Cavaliers and Donovan Mitchell have a contract extension so where do they go from here what do the Cavs have to do next we discuss on today’s lock on Cavs you are locked on Cavs your daily Cleveland Cavaliers podcast part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day thank you for making lockdown Cavs your first listen every every day part of the lockdown podcast Network your team every day you can get the show anywhere you find your podcast Apple Spotify anywhere else be sure to leave a five-star review leave some notes in the comments as well say some nice things about us that’s how you can help us to grow the show also check us out on YouTube if you’re not doing that already just search locked on Cavs on YouTube find us watch us if you’re watching the video give us a thumbs up make sure you are subscribed to the locked on Cavs YouTube channel your team every day Today’s Show brought to you by Game Time download the game time app create an account and use code locked on NBA for $2 off your first purchase terms do apply earlier this week the Cavs and Donovan Mitchell agreed to a three-year contract extension worth more than $150 million that is obviously the biggest thing that the Cavs have done this offseason it’s the biggest thing they could possibly do this offseason so now that brings up the question now that that’s out of the way where do the Cavs go from here and I think that there are three things that are important for the Cavs to do the rest of this off season we will talk about those three things on today’s show again I’m Dany Cunningham you might know me from covering the Cavs at places such as 923 The Fan Cleveland magazine and a few other along the way you can find me on Twitter real D coningham I want to start with the free agency aspect of things because that is an area where I think a lot of Cavs fans are frustrated because the Cavs and as I record this it’s about 2:00 in the afternoon on Wednesday so by time this episode comes out things may have changed a little bit but as of now the Cavs have been quiet with the exception of the Donovan Mitchell news that said I don’t think that’s necessarily the worst thing in the world I I’m not going to sit here and lie to you and say that I think it’s great the Cavs have done nothing other than sign their player to a three-year contract extension but I also don’t think it’s the worst thing in the world because a lot of the guys that I think makes sense for the Cavs are still on the market as I record this there’s a list of names that I think makes sense that I would be interested in if I’m Kobe Alman the Cav’s president of basketball operations that I would be interested in in adding to this team now there are some names that I thought would have made some sense for the Cavs that are no longer on the board but guys like Tobias Harris signed for more money than the Cavs were able to offer because of what they have they were never going to be able to get up to $26 million a year on someone that’s really a three andd free agent that was just not going to be in the cards for them but as the longer this goes as the longer the free agency period is drawn out and some of these guys still remained unsigned I think that’s a really good thing for the Cavs because those prices start to come down a little bit guys that went into this offseason maybe expecting to get the full mid-level exception which the Cavs can’t offer upwards of $12 million those guys now their price starts to come down a little bit and that’s something that the Cavs can make more competitive offers I think to more guys the first guy I have on my list is someone I think would make sense for the Cavs to go after in free agency that is still available as I record this is Gary Trent Jr I think he would make a ton of sense in Cleveland he’s someone that has been a really good shooter shot nearly 40% from three-point range he’s got the size that the Cavs need as a a three andd type of player he’s not the best defender he can find himself out of position sometimes he’s got good steel numbers which that’s not the Beall end all with defenses I think you guys know if you’re watching this that just because you generate a lot of steals doesn’t mean you’re a great defender because often times you can find yourself gambling for those Steals and if you get them that’s great but if you don’t you’re out of position and that can lead to points for the other team so while he’s not a great defender I don’t think I think he’d be a good fit on this roster as someone who can be a low usage type of player which the Cavs have enough High usage guys be a low usage type of player that can hit catch and shoot three-point opportunities he can be your seventh guy he can be your eighth guy he can make that work I think that’d be a really nice fit for the Cavs especially if they run it back with the core 4 well get into that coming up later in the show but if they run it back with the core4 that’s a name that I think makes some sense as someone who probably not going to get the full mid-level exception at this point maybe he does I’d be a little bit surprised but that is something that I I don’t think is going to happen for him and if that’s the case I think that the Cavs should be connected there I think that the Cavs should be interested in Gary Trent Jr um another name that has been brought up to me that um I think the cab should have interest in but that interest is is it’s not a guy that could help right at the start of the season and that name is sadique Bay I like sadique Bay a lot I do I think he has some bright days ahead of him as an NBA player as a specialist particularly a shooting specialist from the outside I think he’s really good there I don’t have you know his exact numbers but he’s also coming off of a torn ACL that he suffered in March so while I think he’d be an awesome fit he’s the type of player that you don’t know if he’s going to have any impact at all next season wherever he signs now that’s certainly something that I think also probably drives down his price quite a bit I don’t think that you know if you would have asked sadique Bay in February what he thought he was going to sign for this Summer that number is much different now than it was then because he had a pretty bad knee injury that’s going to cost him to miss most if not all of next season you know and I I understand not all injuries are apples to apples no two situation are the same but think back to Ricky Rubio’s KNE injury where he missed more than 12 months not saying sadique Bay’s timeline is going to be the same as Rubio was when he was over 30 and it was the second time he tore that ACL but if sadique Bay misses 13 months like Rubio did you’re looking at not getting a guy back until the playoffs begin and that’s not necessarily a place that you want to be now that being said if this is a deal that’s worth two for two or three years at the right price for the Cavs Bae I think is someone that given his track record as a shooter could be a guy that really helps the Cavs long term that can be a bargain at a great price even if it’s a two-year deal and you don’t get a ton out of him this year but you get a lot out of him next year at a really good price that could be something that the cabs should be interested in I like sadique Bay a lot I’ve liked him since he was coming out of college um he’s someone that I think is still has some Bright Days in the NBA ahead of him next up on the list Caleb Martin from from Miami he’s still out there he’s still a free agent I’m a little surprised that he’s still available um I’m not crazy about his fit in Cleveland I don’t think he’s a great shooter he does a lot of things really well um but it’s kind of the same thing same conversation we could have had about Max stru last year is how much of him being good is because of his situation in Miami and how much is because of who he is as a basketball player I don’t know the answer to that question I know that Martin has had some flashes of being a good shooter but overall he’s like a 34% shooter from the outside and while standing at 6’5 I I don’t think he’s big enough for the Cavs to be interested in if he’s just going to be that type of shooter and even his best year I I believe he shot close to 42% a couple years back but that was on like three attempts a game from outside so I don’t think he’s the the best fit for the Cavs in terms of what they need someone that can help to create more space and when I’m talking about these guys I’m doing this with the thought that the core 4 is going to run it back because and the Cavs need to find someone here that can create space when either one of Jared Allen or Evan moble is on the floor or both of those guys are on the floor that’s what I’m talking about here when I’m looking at these guys the other name I have here as someone that could be a shooter that is still available is Malik Beasley career 38 almost 39% three-point shooter and unlike Martin Beasley takes almost six attempts from Deep per game that is something that’s very intriguing to me because he is someone that defenses are going to have to respect from the outside and you can talk about how guys you know three-o percentage matters and it does you’re right but I think the volume almost matters a little bit more and we can talk about this with Isaac aoro and we will have Isaac auro discussion as long as he’s still a restricted free agent and you know as of now there’s not been an offer sheet from another team and the C have obviously not come to terms with him as well as I record this but it matters to me shooting so many threes a game because ISAC Koro shot I think 38 or 39% from three but if he’s only taking two and a half three attempts per game that’s not going to be something that’s enough to make defenses respect you Evan Moy shot 38% from three but he took less than two of them a game so he’s not going to be defended all that well 38% from three on two attempts per game is so much different than 38% or 39% from three like Malik Beasley in that neighborhood on six attempts per game they are wildly different so getting a high volume shooter that’s good even if Beasley’s not a great defender even if he’s a little bit undersized he’s a good enough shooter that I think that that could be something that really does help the Cav so I do think they should have some interest in him in free agency the last guy I’ve got the last one that I want to talk about is really the by low candid Cate of all byow candidates and that’s Gordon Hayward now Hayward has gone through a lot in his career um Cavs fans know all about that injury he suffered that was at then quick and loon’s Arena his first game with the Boston Celtics and Kyrie Irving’s first game with the Boston Celtics after the Cavs traded him there the summer of 2017 and Hayward has not been the same player since he’s not a guy he’s not going to be an All-Star again that’s not what he is he is certainly on the last legs of his career but he’s someone that should be available for a pretty low price especially after how poorly his stint went in Oklahoma City and he could be a good byow candidate if he can be 60% of what he was while making something close to the veterans minimum which I sort of think should be his ballpark right now that’s a pretty good thing for the Cavs I think that the Cavs should have interest in that type of thing because he plays the exact position that they’re missing he had he does the things the Cavs need I don’t know that he’s ever going to be able to do them at a high enough level but that’s the type of player that could make some sense if the price is right I’m not advocating to throw your whole midlevel exception at Gordon Hayward I think that wouldn’t be the best idea but if you can get him on a bargain and let him try and rebuild value to get one more contract on a one-year deal I think that’d be a pretty good thing for the Cavs I think that’s another guy they could or should have some interest in there is a contract I do expect to to get done this summer with the Cavs I’ll tell you about it next right here on lockdown Cavs Today’s Show is brought to you by game time game time is an authorized ticket Marketplace of Major League Baseball and of course that makes getting tickets faster and easier prices on the game time app actually go down the closer that you get to first pitch which is a great thing everyone wants that they’ve got killer last minute deals all in prices I think that’s really important views from the seat you are going to be sitting in if you want to buy tickets on game time you can select the seat you want and it’ll show you hey when you’re sitting in these seats this is what the Field’s going to look like or the courts or the rink if you’re buying seats through a hockey game game time does that for you and that’s one of the reasons why I love game 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minute tickets lowest price guaranteed so the Cavs as of now have come to an extension with Donovan Mitchell we know all about that I don’t think that’s going to be the last extension the Cavs get done this summer I think Evan Moy and the Cavs are going to come to terms on a contract extension I’m of the belief that is a priority for the Cavs to get done this summer and I think that’s a really good thing yes it’s going to be for a lot of money it might be for the rookie Max that’s okay I do think that’s okay because I firmly believe that Evan Mo’s best days in the are ahead of him I don’t think he’s peaked I think that this coaching change going from JB bicker staff to Kenny Atkinson is going to be the best thing for Evan Mobley I think it’s going to be one of the best things that ever happens in his career because what I think Kenny ainson is going to be able to get out of Evan Moy is going to make him a Max Level player and that’s before we even talk about how good he is defensively where he’s already that Calibur of player we don’t have to dive deep into what he does defensively because we know he’s a defensive player of the year candidate he’s always going to be one as long as he beats the threshold for games played he didn’t last year two years ago he did he would finished third and defensive player of the year voting he’s awesome on that end he makes two or three highlight plays every game that’s more than enough to to justify what he’s going to be paid but offensively there’s a lot yet for Evan Mobley to unlock there’s still a I I don’t even think he has scratched the surface of what he can be as an offensive player a lot of people are going to point to his series against Boston particularly game five when he was one of the best players on the floor scored over 30 points which is fantastic playing Center full-time if the Cavs run back to core 4 obviously he’s not going to play center fulltime that’s not going to be the case if they bring Jared Allen back but I do think there are ways and one of the things that Kenny ainson brought up earlier this week in his introductory press conference was he talked about playing with more Pace he talked about being a fast team and I’ve talked about this plenty on the podcast over the last month and one of the issues one of the things that makes it difficult for the Cavs to play at that pace is the fact that they’ve got two bigs that can be tough because big guys often not the most athletic not the fleetest of foot they can sometimes struggle to get up and down the floor well Atkinson brought up that they’ve got two bigs but they’ve got two fast bigs they’ve got two bigs that run the the floor pretty well Jared Allen for his size does move his feet pretty well and I think that’s been pretty evident in some of the switches that you’ve seen him out on on the perimeter defensively over the past couple of years I mean think back actually I believe it was the 71-point game Donovan Mitchell had a couple of years ago against the Chicago Bulls where the Cavs started putting Jared Allen on Demar D rozan it wasn’t that they were allowing him to switch out onto D rozan they were just saying hey go guard this guy this is your assignment that speaks to Jared Allen’s footwork and that speaks I do think a little bit to his ability to get up and down the floor not saying the Cavs need to turn into the 7even seconds or less Suns but if they play faster I think the guy that’s going to benefit the most is Evan Moy because I think that’s going to get Moy more opportunities in transition I think that’s going to get Moy more opportunities with mismatches near the basket and I also think it’s going to give Moy the opportunity to facilitate the basketball a little bit more I think that’s one of the areas where he is at his best I think he’s been shown to be a very good passer in his first few years in the league where he can handle the basketball now I do think that handle needs to get tighter I think he needs to become a better ball handler this Summer that should be one of the priorities for him in addition to of course continuing to work on that jump shot to add some strength maybe add a little bit of weight to his frame make himself a better all around basketball player but if he improves that handle I think that the transition game for the Cavs is going to improve quite a bit with Evan I I think that he’s someone that he can pick up probably six to eight points per game just by running more in the open floor and that takes him from being what a 16 point per game scorer to a 24 Point per game score 22 points per game when that is your second or third offensive option which he would be that’s fantastic it’s difficult to think of how many third options there are that are able to score that that much and the thing with him he’s always going to be very efficient scoring wise like his attempts numbers never going to be super high it’s just not because he’s not a ball dominant player he’s never going to be I don’t think higher than third on the Cavs in field goal attempts that’s why I do think to judge how good he is offensively you have to look a little bit past just the scoring numbers but I do think a way to boost that a very easy way to boost that is by pushing the pace so if those things happen you’re talking about what does Evan Evan Moy look like then and I think Moy does look like a guy that deserves to have the rookie Max I do have some questions about the contract and I believe this is something the Cavs are working on but I wonder if he gets the full Max I wonder if the Cavs feel as if he has done enough to earn the full rookie Max scale contract extension that’ll be a very interesting thing to find out the other thing that I’m fascinated to see about this contract is does he get a player out option is that last year going to be a player option it’s not something the Cavs love to do they just gave Donovan Mitchell one though but if you look at some of the contracts they’ve handed out particularly the extensions they’ve handed out they’ve not been too eager to give those out Darius Garland doesn’t have a player option on his deal Jared Allen does not have a player option on his deal they sign Lowry Market into the contract he’s currently on with Utah Jazz I do not believe that has a player option attached to it at the end they have done a really good job of saying when you sign a contract with us you’re signing a contract you’re not getting out of this early I do think Donovan Mitchell is a different exception and I’m of the belief that player options should be for the best players you know we’re at the point now where we see some of the some guys that just are not deserving of player options getting player options and the Cavs have been very picky about who they give those player options too I don’t know if Evan MO is in that boat I suspect the Cavs are going to do be doing everything they can to ensure that Evan Mobley is on a full if he gets that full Max I don’t know that the Cavs are going to want to put a player option on that final year I’m going to bet that they want to make it a fiveyear full Max it is a a true five-year commitment not a four-year commitment with a player option at the end of it to protect the player that’s how the Cavs do business I would suspect that’s what they want to do here whether or not that gets done we’ll have to wait and see I’m not sure if that’s going to be part of the Cavs um part of their contract with Evan Moy but I do think that this summer and I think it’s one of the things that happens next is we see the Cavs we see Evan Moy come to terms on a contract extension that’s going to keep Moy in Cleveland for quite a while up next I’ve got one more thing that I think makes sense for the Cavs to look to next now that they’ve got Donovan Mitchell agreed upon not signed yet he cannot sign the deal until this weekend but that they have agreed to a contract extension with Donovan Mitchell I I think a trade maybe it’s in their future maybe it’s not but I think conversation about it should be one of the next steps for the Cavs I’ll tell you what it is next right here on lockdown Cavs are you watching Fox Sports or ESPN on your TV all day and you have to turn down the volume because of all the shouting that goes on well I’m here to tell you to make the switch to locked on sports today it’s a free 247 sports streaming Channel That’s programmed for you every day and it brings you the biggest stories without all the screaming lock on sports today brings you can’t miss can’t miss analysis opinions and news streaming 24/7 on YouTube or the free Amazon Fire TV channels app part of the lockdown podcast Network your team every day so the Cavs have been pretty adamant about running it back with the core 4 that core four Donovan Mitchell just signed a contract extension or will be signing a contract extension but just agreed to one with the Cavaliers Evan Moy I believe will come to terms on a contract extension with the Cavaliers at some point this summer Darius Garland there’s been some noise about him maybe wanting out of Cleveland that noise for the most part has died down I’m not so sure Darius Garland is going to get traded I’m not so sure Darius Garland wants to get traded this summer I I am of the belief that he’d like to be in Cleveland that he would like to continue to be a member of the Cavaliers and then fourth Jared Allen we’ve not heard a ton about how Jared Allen feels he has seemed to enjoy his time in Cleveland from the the little that I know but I think he’s the guy that if they want to move somebody it makes the most sense to move so now that they’ve got down of a Mitchell locked up is it time to explore that sort of trade because if you believe that the Cavaliers can be Championship contenders with the core 4 then you don’t don’t worry about this you don’t have to worry about making this sort of deal it doesn’t make sense because you believe that the internal growth that they can have from Evan Moy that they can have from Darius garland that they can have from Donovan Mitchell is even you know he continues to be on the rise as a basketball player players he keeps getting better if you think all of that can lead to a championship then you don’t have to worry about about trading Jared Allen you don’t have to worry about repurposing any of the assets to try and improve the depth on the wing for the calfs that’s okay if that’s how you feel that’s how you feel but if you feel otherwise I think now is the time to start to think about trading Jared Allen looking into what some of those trades could look like Brandon Ingram is a name that I keep going back to because Brandon Ingram in the trade machine works for Allen and Caris LT and if you could get away with extending Brandon Ingram for less than the Max and you don’t have to give him 50 plus million dollars a year to have him on your roster I think it makes a lot of sense and I understand that there are a lot of people that don’t want to trade Jarrett and I get it I’m not saying I want to trade Jarrett but look at it this way the Cavs are in a position where right now I trust Donovan Mitchell when I need him to go score me 30 point points in a game I trust him to be able to do it I don’t trust anyone else on the roster to consistently do that and I’m not saying that I trust Brandon Ingram to do that because I don’t he’s been a relatively inconsistent basketball player in the situation he’s currently in in New Orleans but with that said can Brandon Ingram go out and get me 25 in game four of a playoff series yeah who do I think is more likely to go score 25 points a game as a second option in a playoff series to Donovan Mitchell Brandon Ingram or Darius Garland Brandon Ingram or Evan Mobley Brandon Ingram or Jared Allen I think the answer to all three of those is Brandon Ingram now the low points are going to be there but he is someone that is sort of I view as a by low candidate and yeah J giving up Jared Allen is a lot maybe the Cavs would get a little bit more than just Brandon Ingram back in that trade but I think it’s one that they should be looking at I think that’s a deal that makes sense for the Cavs if you want to move on if you don’t want to move on if you want to run it back if you want to see what Kenny Atkinson can do how things can look differently just by having Kenny Atkinson on the bench instead of JB bicker staff by all means do it if the Cavs really believe that okay let’s see what it looks like I’m willing to give it a chance but I also I’m willing to say okay if they want to reshuffle things what makes sense and I think this is something that could make sense I’ve bounced back and forth on wanting the capsure tray for Brandon Ingram I’m still not sure where I stand but I see both sides of how it could make sense for everybody thank you for making lockdown Cavs your first listen every day doing a mailbag episode tomorrow get your questions in drop them in the comments right here or you can tweet them at realz Cunningham a week of free agency is gone Donovan Mitchell going to be in Cleveland for quite a while I want to talk about all of it I want to know what what you guys want to talk about so drop your questions again real Z Cunningham on Twitter locked on Cavs on Twitter or comment them below this video if you’re watching the video comment and give it a thumbs up if you haven’t already make sure you are subscribed to the locked on Cavs YouTube channel make sure you’re subscribed on Apple Spotify if you like Apple better than Spotify subscribe on Apple but do me a favor download Spotify subscribe on Spotify too if you’re a Spotify person and you’ve got an iPhone download it on Spotify make sure you’re subscribed on Apple podcast as well that’s how you can help to grow the show it’s been a lot of growth with this show over the past month cannot wait to continue to grow it thank you all for being a part of it I will talk to you mailbag episode tomorrow cannot wait for that get your questions in and we will have a bunch of fun thank you again for making locked on Cavs your first listen today and every day

Which free agents make the most sense for the Cavs? Should Evan Mobley sign an extension?
On Thursday’s episode of Locked On Cavs, Danny Cunningham (@RealDCunningham) of Cleveland Magazine and 92.3 The Fan discusses what the Cleveland Cavaliers should be doing next now that Donovan Mitchell has agreed to a contract extension with the team.

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