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NBA Rumors: Could Cavaliers acquire Roy Hibbert this summer?

By Josh Hill

Jan 19, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Indiana Pacers center Roy Hibbert (55) holds the ball against the Houston Rockets in the first half at Toyota Center. Rockets won 110 to 98. Mandatory Credit: Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 19, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Indiana Pacers center Roy Hibbert (55) holds the ball against the Houston Rockets in the first half at Toyota Center. Rockets won 110 to 98. Mandatory Credit: Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Cleveland Cavaliers are sitting on over $10 million in cap space thanks to Brendan Haywood, but could that lead to Roy Hibbert coming to town?

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The Cleveland Cavaliers lost in the NBA Finals and the narrative has violently pivoted from how LeBron James was on the path for history to how he doesn’t have enough to win in Cleveland. The problem with the Cavaliers wasn’t coaching, or LeBron James or injuries.

What sunk the Cavaliers was their inability to find a big man who can score and their lack of depth on the roster. Guys who were six and seventh options, like Matthew Delavedova, suddenly became starters and top scoring options. That’s not how you win the NBA Finals and something needs to be done.

Cleveland sorely lacked a big man all season long, and even the addition of Timofey Mozgov wasn’t enough for the Cavaliers to shore up their problems and they may need to seek out another tower to build in the paint next season. That might be accomplished thanks to Brendan Haywood.

Haywood won’t be the player to fill the gap, but trading him and collecting over $10 million in cap space could provide the relief Cleveland needs.

According to NBA scribe Chuck Myron, the Cavaliers could use their $10 million-plus to lure in a player like Roy Hibbert to fill a hole on their roster.

"You don’t let $10MM+ assets sit there unused. The task is finding a team willing to give up a player with a salary that fits within the matching requirements. Maybe that’s a fit for David Lee. Maybe that’s a fit for Roy Hibbert. Maybe the Cavs don’t want to take on a guy who’s quite so expensive. But they’ll use it one way or another."

Hibbert has a player option for $15.1 million for next season and he’ll probably pick that up. Unless he can be assured a max contract, he will take the money from Indiana and play there next season. But opting out could get Hibbert the long-term deal he wants and Cleveland could get him that deal.

It’s a risky move for Cleveland, who won’t come near to maxing out Hibbert but could pay him a large um anyways. That’s going to be tough when you have guys like LeBron James, J.R. Smith, Kevin Love and others to re-sign this summer. Still, Hibbert has the potential to be the best big man in the NBA if he’s playing at the top of his game and putting him with LeBron James could be dangerous.

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