After losing the NBA Finals as an undermanned, one-man show, the Cleveland Cavaliers face a lot of potential for a conference champion.
LeBron James can opt out of his contract. There are very few people on Earth who believe he would leave Cleveland again, but don't be shocked if he opts out and re-structures his deal.
The next intriguing piece is Kevin Love. After trading the last two No. 1 overall picks to get the All-Star forward, he struggled fitting in at times. He could test the free-agent waters, but it's always appeared there was some sort of wink-wink agreement for a long-term deal.
J.R. Smith told Si.com's Chris Mannix after the Cavs lost he'll probably opt out. Mike Miller can, too. Timofey Mozgov has a team option and with Anderson Varejao's injury history, coupled with Mozgov's great play in the Finals, he'll be back.
Tristan Thompson is a free agent. He's going to be hard to let go, but how much money is available if Love gets huge money? Iman Shumpert is in a similar situation. Cleveland desperately needed a perimeter defender. How much of the pot will be left for him? Matthew Dellavedova?
When teams decide to go the "Big Three" route, it's tricky. They have to settle for aging veterans to fill out the roster, guys who want one more ring. The Cavs proved in the Finals, James can't do it all. Love and Irving should be available down the line, but both have injury histories.
The Cavs are stocked when healthy. They could use an infusion of youngsters, especially a shooter. Virginia's Justin Anderson could be a choice as he had a great season shooting the basketball. If Georgia State's R.J. Hunter fell this far, he'd look good in a Cleveland uniform.
Players under contract: G Kyrie Irving, C Anderson Varejao; C Brendan Haywood; G Joe Harris
Free agents: F LeBron James (player option); F Kevin Love (player option); G J.R. Smith (player option); G Mike Miller (player option); C Timofey Mozgov (team option); F Tristan Thompson; G Iman Shumpert; F James Jones; F Shawn Marion; G Matthew Dellavedova
Recent Draft History:
2014: Andrew Wiggins (1), Joe Harris (33)
2013: Anthony Bennett (1), Sergey Karasev (19), Carrick Felix (33)
2012: Dion Waiters (4), Jared Cunningham (24), Bernard James (33), Jae Crowder (34)
2011: Kyrie Irving (1), Tristan Thompson (4), Justin Harper (32), Milan Macvan (54)
2010: No picks
[SportsNetwork.com]
