The Cavaliers made their first splash in the trade market, There are several things that still need to be addressed before the trade deadline on March 1st if they want to repeat as NBA Champions. Here are a few things to consider:
- Figure out the backup point guard situation.
There has been a lot of speculation about what the Cavs will do at the backup point guard position as it continues to be a problem. Iman Shumpert has admirably tried to fill the position, but he is just not a natural point guard. He has been much better this year, but he is more effective when he is not handling the ball and trying to run the offense.
Kay Felder has done a decent job since returning from his one-game stint in the D-League. He’s averaging a little over 10 points, 2 assists, and a steal per game when he gets in for just under 20 minutes a game, but I’m not sure the Cavs will be able to trust him for a playoff run yet.
There’s been a lot of talk surrounding the Cavs and former Heat point guard Mario Chalmers. However, nothing has materialized, and I don’t think he’s fully healthy yet. One thing is for sure, this needs to be figured out fairly soon to save Kyrie some minutes.
- Get a post presence/rim-protector.
The Cavs were probably in need of another true post player before Birdman went down with a season-ending injury, but now they definitely need someone who can play defense and be a physical presence inside the paint. Tristan Thompson is now the only true post player on the roster because Kevin Love and Channing Frye are stretch 4’s.
Even though Kevin Love rebounds well, and LeBron can play power forward in small lineups, it would be good to have another true post-presence to take some of the burden off of Thompson and provide insurance in case of foul trouble.
- Use the Anderson Varejao trade exception.
As we all know, the Cavs are well over the salary cap, and they don’t have a lot of good trade assets they are willing to part with. This is where trade exceptions come in very handy. They have a few of them from the $600,000 to $2 million range, but good luck adding quality talent with that.
The $9.6 million trade exception they got for Anderson Varejao is their best bargaining chip in the trade market. This is probably what they will need to use in order to strengthen the backup point guard position or add a post presence. They can also try to entice teams by using Cedi Osman (an overseas prospect), Jordan McCrae, or their 2020 first-round pick to help fill their needs.
- Find a way to cut Kyrie and LeBron’s minutes.
While the Cavs have been playing great ball lately, part of the reason is because LeBron and Kyrie have been playing huge minutes. Coach Lue needs to start to limit them at times to keep them fresh and make sure they are ready for another long playoff run. Solving the backup point guard problem would help this because it would allow Kyrie to stay out longer on breaks if there was someone competent to run the offense in his absence.
That would also help LeBron hopefully get more time out of the game because Iman Shumpert would be available to pick up more minutes on the wing. Richard Jefferson has played better lately, and DeAndre Liggins’ continued development would also be beneficial for LeBron once JR Smith is back.
- Find a way to trade Mo Williams and/or Birdman.
The other thing that is hurting the Cavs depth is the fact that they are only able to use thirteen of their fifteen roster spots. Birdman is out for the year with a torn ACL, but they can’t dump him or they will incur a bigger hit on their luxury tax. Mo Williams is also taking up a roster spot even though he hasn’t played a minute this year and has pretty much said he is retired. If the Cavs were able to trade one or both of them, they would open up another roster spot for someone that could at least dress and be available to play.
If the Cavs can find a way to accomplish these 5 things, I think they will be well on their way to repeating this year as the NBA Champions. At the very least, they should have no problem coming out of the East and getting LeBron to his seventh straight NBA Finals.
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