30 teams in 30 days: Cleveland Cavaliers offseason preview

Upon falling to the Warriors in five games in the 2017 NBA Finals, every question in Cleveland revolves around how the Cavaliers match up with them moving forward. It’s rare in NBA history to have a team that has to build their roster for one specific opponent — even Golden State has to at least consider how to compete against Houston and San Antonio when putting their team together. The Cavaliers are so far ahead of the field in the East, yet clearly need upgrades to give the Warriors a real test, so every move they make has to be with Golden State in mind.

The Cavaliers had no problem scoring on the vaunted Warriors defense, posting a 111.6 offensive rating in the Finals, but it was on the other end of the floor where Cleveland struggled. The Cavaliers went all-in on offense with their signings and trades over the past calendar year, so it seems likely they’ll try to be balanced a little better going into next season. The core of their team will be intact — other than Kyle Korver, everybody who played a positive role in the series with the Warriors is under contract for next season. They have full Bird Rights on Korver, but are well into the tax already, meaning every dollar they give him is multiplied. Dan Gilbert has been willing to spend on his team, but even he has to have a limit to how much money will go out in salary and luxury taxes.

Cleveland, like every other team in the league, are constantly looking for 3-and-D wings to bolster their depth and implement a switch-heavy defense. The Cavaliers had a lot of one or the other this past season: J.R. Smith and Korver were offense-heavy but hurt Cleveland on the other end, while Iman Shumpert was so unplayable offensively that he only saw the floor for four minutes in Golden State’s title-clinching win. They won’t have more than their mini mid-level exception, starting at $5.2 million next season, and minimum contracts to fill out their roster, whether Korver is retained or not. A few targets the Cavaliers could look at with their mini mid-level include Luc Mbah a Moute, Omri Casspi, Justin Holiday and Thabo Sefolosha. None of these players would solve all of their issues, but each would likely see the floor against the Warriors in a potential fourth matchup.

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However, in order for the Cavaliers to get meaningfully better, management will have to find a trade that brings another star to the proceedings. Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving are both wonderful offensive talents but both see their defensive flaws open up against the Warriors. Irving, as a perimeter player, is less important defensively than Love, who plays center in some of the Cavaliers’ best lineups. At a defense’s most important position, Love doesn’t provide the rim protection Cleveland needs against Golden State. A Love trade doesn’t come easily, if only because there are so few superstars on the trade market for the Cavaliers to target. Indiana’s Paul George has popped up in rumors and would make a lot of sense for Cleveland as a true two-way star who can also spell James on Kevin Durant for stretches.

Working out a trade between Indiana and Cleveland depends entirely on what the Pacers’ goals are for next season and going forward. If they’re looking to rebuild, then Cleveland would have to include a third team to give Indiana the draft assets and young players they’d want. The Cavaliers can’t trade a first-round pick before 2021 because of previous obligations to Portland and Atlanta in 2017 and 2019, respectively, and they don’t have a second-rounder until 2019. Those picks would also be inherently less valuable because of where the Cavaliers project to finish in upcoming years. A third team to take on Love and send out rebuilding chips for Indiana would be necessary, but the team would need to have enough cap space this summer to take on Love’s contract. Denver and Minnesota have been mentioned as teams that have assets that might intrigue the Pacers and a glaring hole at the 4 Love could fill instantaneously.

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Whichever direction the Cavaliers choose, they will do so with one opponent in mind. What Gilbert chooses as his spending limit will also impact the team’s ability to retain Korver and bring in outside free agents — he may put a nix on the $5.2 million mini mid-level since paying that out will cost him a minimum of $21.1 million in actual cash due to the extreme luxury tax penalties faced by teams, like the Cavaliers, who are repeat offenders of the luxury tax line. How many guys willing to take the mini mid-level are worth that $21.1 million price tag it would cost Gilbert? Cleveland will have to navigate both internal and external financial limitations, but with the Warriors looming as the only team above them, they’ll feel as much pressure as anyone to keep spending until they find the winning formula.