Of all the teams that the Celtics have to be worried about in a suddenly loaded Eastern Conference, the Cavaliers have fallen pretty far down the list. They reached the East Finals last season, but got trounced by the Knicks and went out looking awfully pathetic. After striking out on a third and final hoorah with LeBron James, the team seemed pretty much stuck.
But they’re likely to re-sign James Harden, and they’ve still got Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen. If nothing else, that’s the foundation of a very strong regular-season team that we now know can make some noise come playoff time if things break in their favor.
On Friday afternoon, they finally made a move that signals that a much more aggressive one is likely soon to follow. They traded journeyman point guard and former Celtic Dennis Schroder to the Hornets for Tre Mann.
On the surface, this deal doesn’t seem like much of a needle mover, but with the deal, the Cavs save enough money to get far below both aprons, which gives them a chance to bring back Harden on a team-friendly deal and also take a swing at one of the remaining free agents.
That could mean signing Jonathan Kuminga, an athletic wing the likes of which they’ve been dying for forever, or a sign-and-trade for restricted free agent Peyton Watson of the Nuggets, who would fill a similar role.
Cavaliers looking to upgrade after ECF run
Adding either player would be a massive upgrade for Cleveland and would round out their starting lineup quite well. They still may need to shed more money, and a possible Max Strus trade could be the next domino to fall, but this is a big first step. The Cavs are now $32 million below the first apron and $44 million below the second apron.Â
A sign-and-trade would hard cap them at the first apron, but if they can agree to deal with Watson at a reasonable number, they can give the remaining money to Harden and call it an offseason. Watson is a dynamic two-way player who could give them much-needed point-of-attack defense and secondary creation, especially when one of Harden or Mitchell is off the floor.
It’s not like making one of these moves would vault the Cavs to being favorites in the conference, but it’s a nice counter move after swinging and missing at LeBron. They may not be the most talented team or best fit, but they’ll have an elite starting lineup across the board and multiple players who excel on both ends. They’ve got great continuity with Mitchell, Mobley, and Allen as well.
I’m not booking a hotel room for the week of the Finals in Cleveland or anything just yet, but this is just one more indication that the East is going to be way better this year and teams are acting accordingly and loading up as much as possible. For the Cavs, it’s now all about waiting for the next shoe to drop.
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