The Cavaliers need a backup plan if they fail to acquire Paul George or Jimmy Butler
During Golden State’s hard fought gentleman’s sweep of Cleveland in the NBA Finals, one thing became abundantly clear of the matchup — the Cavaliers desperately need another dynamic wing so they can contend with Kevin Durant and the Warriors.
Durant was just too much for the Cavaliers to handle as he scored often and at will. LeBron James tried his best to slow him down but he could only do so much. Plus, James was expending a ton of energy on the offensive end. Guarding Durant on top of all of that wore him down as the series progressed.
Other than James, the Cavaliers didn’t have anyone that could guard Durant. Iman Shumpert, Richard Jefferson and others tried their hand at slowing down Durant but alas, they could only do so much to limit the offensive firepower of the Warriors All-Star.
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Cleveland was well aware of their need for a wing to truly keep up with the Warriors, which is why shortly after Golden State celebrated their championship with a parade in Oakland, rumors that they were interested in Pacers All-Star Paul George started circulating. On the surface this seems like an ideal fit because of George’s excellent two-way play and the respect James has for him. With George telling the Pacers that he is going to the Lakers in 2018, Indiana want to get something in return for the All-Star so they are reportedly the ones that reached out to Cleveland.
The Cavaliers were naturally quite keen on the idea of trading for George — they reportedlybegan to consider a possible deal with the Pacers. But then ESPN’s Marc Stein and Dave McMenamin threw a new wrinkle into Cleveland’s offseason plans by reporting that the Cavaliers were working on a multi-team deal that would result in them acquiring Bulls All-Star Jimmy Butler instead of George. Like George, Butler is an excellent two-way player and his addition would definitely aid the Cavaliers in their quest to unseat the Warriors from their championship throne.
But shortly after the ESPN report, the Cavaliers’ offseason plans took another turn as Cleveland announced they were not going to renew the contract of general manager David Griffin. This was a stunning move due to the success Griffin had in Cleveland, which included building a championship team and James pushing for the Cavaliers to retain his services. The NBA Draft is also just days away and now the Cavaliers don’t have a GM to work the phones on an extremely busy day in the league.
So what are the Cavaliers going to do now? There is a legitimate chance that either George and/or Butler will get traded on or before the NBA Draft and the Cavaliers could possibly end up missing out due to their front office shakeup.
The Cavaliers are not a rudderless ship, though. They still have an existing front office and team owner Dan Gilbert reportedly is going to have a hand in personal and possible trade decisions. However, things are definitely in flux in Cleveland and there is no guarantee that they could acquire either Butler or George.
That’s why the Cavaliers should have a backup plan on how they could upgrade on the wing. And two possible players the Cavaliers should consider are Rudy Gay and Jonathon Simmons.
Gay may be seeking a long-term deal that will pay him a pretty penny. But after spending a few years with a losing franchise like the Kings, perhaps Gay wants to experience a winning culture again in his career and wants to play a significant role on a championship contender. If so, maybe he decides to take less money to sign with the Cavaliers. Cleveland may only be able to give Gay a veteran’s minimum deal or perhaps they can afford to give him more through some roster management. And despite the knocks against Gay, he is capable scorer (18.7 points on 45.5 percent shooting last year) and a serviceable defender.
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Considering how he is going to a free agent for the first time in his career, Simmons may be a longer shot than Gay for the Cavaliers. But Simmons offers up the same type of two-way versatility that Gay does and his athleticism can provide a dynamism for Cleveland that they don’t currently have. Simmons’ shooting is one of his main areas of weakness but he can make up for that with his ability to attack the rim and play defense.
Gay and Simmons are no Butler or George, but if the Cavaliers fail to land either of those All-Stars, one of those wing players may be their best bet to keep apace with Durant and the Warriors.