Cleveland, Ohio has quickly become a hot spot for athletes. First, Terry Francona agreed to come to the Indians to manage their team. Then, Johnny Manziel sent a text to Browns saying, “Let’s wreck this league together.” Finally, LeBron James agreed to return Cleveland to help bring a championship home. Along with that, he is helping bring in other players to round out the roster. They already feature star point guard Kyrie Irving, hustler and fan favorite Anderson Varejao, and the #1 overall pick Andrew Wiggins. There is talk of a Kevin Love trade, but that would be to the expense of Wiggins and additional players/draft picks.
After all draft picks are signed, the Cavaliers expect to have about $1.4 million left to be under the cap. They could also waive non-guarenteed deals in Matthew Delladova and Carrick Felix to create approximately another $1.6 million. Either way, the Cavaliers are still going to have to upgrade their roster. They signed LeBron favorites Mike Miller and James Jones earlier in the week. Legion Report got wind from a source on Friday that Ray Allen was at the Cleveland Clinic taking his physical so a signing could be in the making. Here are some options that could benefit them.
Kendall Marshall
Marshall played for the Lakers last year and improved in his second season. He averaged 8 points and 8 assists (ranked 2nd in the NBA behind Chris Paul) in 54 games last season for the team and started 45 of those games. One of the big attractions would be backup point guard to Kyrie Irving. In his 3 year career with the Cavs, Irving has missed an average of 19 games each season. Jarrett Jack was supposed to be his backup, but he never panned out in Cleveland. Marshall brings a pass first mentality that can help the games of LeBron and Wiggins/Love. He also comes cheap. Last year, he played for the league minimum. Cleveland will most likely have to compete with the Lakers for his services.
Emeka Okafor
Okafor is recovering from surgery on a herniated disk in his back, but he is expected to be fully healed for the start of the season. The Cavs lack front court depth, defense, and another player that can do the “dirty work.” Okafor can be a key piece off the bench for the team and provide another veteran presence. In his last full season (2012-’13), Okafor finished 19th in the league in total rebounding and 11th in defensive rating per basketball-reference.com.
Jermaine O’Neal
O’Neal had a resurgence last season coming off the bench for the Warriors. He was a solid contributor backing up Andrew Bogut and when he went down with an injury, O’Neal filled in nicely. There are reports that he is considering retirement after 18 years in the NBA. I’m sure that he would want to win one ring and there’s a good chance he can do it in Cleveland.
Talking about these players does not mean I expect them to produce as if they were 26 years old again. Simply provide the Cavs 10-15 minutes per game with help and let LeBron and the rest of the team rest for the playoffs. Kendall Marshall, to me, would be the biggest piece to go after.
You can click here to listen to what else I have to say about the Cavaliers’ offseason in our recent interview with Sam Bourquin of 1480 WHBC. Follow @Legionreportnba for continuing coverage of the NBA offseason news and updates.