2021-22 ASSESSMENT:
WHAT WENT WRONG
What started out as a magical season for the Cavaliers was slowly derailed by an onslaught of injuries; their top 8 players missed 216 games in total, an average of 27 games each. The team’s leading scorer from the prior season, Collin Sexton, was lost for the season after only 11 games. In spite of these injuries and their youth and inexperience (the average age of the team’s 6 key building blocks, who all received significant minutes, is only 22 years old), the Cavaliers still won 44 games and were in contention for a top seed for much of the season. But it was disappointing to miss the playoffs after starting 36-24. The team really struggled on defense down the stretch after Jarrett Allen broke his finger, giving up an average of 114 per game while limping to a 7-11 finish.
The loss of Ricky Rubio to a torn ACL was devastating. From that point on there was too much pressure on Darius Garland to initiate offense. Whenever Garland was resting or was out injured, the offense really stagnated. Kevin Pangos was quickly exposed and did not even make it through the season, Brandon Goodwin was inconsistent, and Rajon Rondo’s age really showed at times as he was only effective in short and unpredictable doses. Occasionally the team would run the offense through the wings like Caris LeVert and Cedi Osman or even through Evan Mobley in the high post, but that was not sustainable for long stretches.
WHAT WENT RIGHT
The development of Darius Garland was key to the team’s resurgence. He befuddled defenses all year, especially when driving the lane; he was equally adept at hitting running floaters as he was as setting up the two big men, Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, for easy dunks. The Cavs were 29-14 when Garland, Allen, and Mobley all played as opposed to 15-26 when one or more of them were unable to play. Mobley lost a narrow vote for Rookie of the Year while both Garland and Allen were selected for the All-Star Game. It bodes well for the team’s future that their three best players were both productive and had such an impact on winning, despite all of them being under 24 years old.
It was a resurgent season for Kevin Love, who not only accepted a reduced role coming off the bench but actually flourished. By managing Love’s minutes, the team was able to keep him healthy and maximize his productivity. Love’s advanced stats (VORP, BPM, and WS/48) rebounded to the levels that they were back in 2017-18, his last season as an All-Star.
The Cavaliers created mismatches by playing an unconventional big lineup, with newly acquired Lauri Markkanen starting at small forward. Markkanen was surprisingly effective, as his defensive efficiencies were minimized due to the size, athleticism, and versatility of Mobley and Allen. Being mostly guarded by smaller players gave Markkanen free reign to fire away from long range.
Sexton’s injury provided opportunities for other players to get minutes and touches. This helped the team as much as those players, as they got a better idea of the potential and the limitations of those players.
PAYROLL
UNDER CONTRACT:
| NAME | 2022-23 SALARY | FUTURE OBLIGATION? |
| Love, Kevin | $28.9m | Expiring |
| Allen, Jarrett | $20.0m | 2023-24 ($20.0m), 2024-25 ($20.0m), 2025-26 ($20.0m) |
| LeVert, Caris | $18.8m | Expiring |
| Markkanen, Lauri | $16.5m | 2023-24 ($17.3m), TO 2024-25 ($18.0) |
| Garland, Darius | $8.9m | QO 2023-24 $(11.8m) |
| Mobley, Evan | $8.5m | TO 2023-24 ($8.9m), TO 2024-25 ($11.2m), QO 2025-26 ($14.7m) |
| Osman, Cedi | $7.4m | TO 2023-24 ($6.7m) |
| Okoro, Isaac | $7.0m | TO 2023-24 ($8.9m), QO 2024-25 ($11.8m) |
| Windler, Dylan | $4.0m | 2023-24 ($1.9m) |
CONTRACT PENDING:
| NAME | 2022-23 SALARY | TYPE |
| Wade, Dean | $1.9m | Team Option |
| Stevens, Lamar | $1.8m | Team Option |
RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS:
| NAME | AGE | HT | WT | STATS w/TEAM |
| Brown, Moses | 23 | 7’2” | 245 | 14g 12.6mpg 6.4ppg 5.3rpg 0.0apg 63.8% / N/A / 55.20% |
| Nembhard, RJ | 23 | 6’5” | 200 | 14g 4.5mpg 1.1ppg 0.5rpg 0.9apg 37.5% / 0.0% / 75.0% |
| Sexton, Collin | 23 | 6’1” | 190 | 11g 28.7mpg 16.0ppg 3.3rpg 2.1apg 53.8% / 24.4% / 74.4% |
UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS:
| NAME | AGE | HT | WT | STATS w/TEAM |
| Davis, Ed | 33 | 6’9” | 218 | 31g 6.5mpg 0.9ppg 2.1rpg 0.2apg 68.8% / N/A / 42.9% |
| Goodwin, Brandon | 27 | 6’0” | 180 | 36g 13.9mpg 4.8ppg 1.9rpg 2.5apg 45.5% / 34.5% / 63.2% |
| Rondo, Rajon | 36 | 6’1” | 180 | 21g 19.4mpg 6.2ppg 2.8rpg 4.9apg 46.8% / 39.7% / 75.0% |
DEAD CAP:
| NAME | AMOUNT |
EXCEPTIONS:
| TYPE | AMOUNT | EXPIRES | NOTES |
| Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception | $10.3m | ||
| Bi-Annual Exception | $4.0m | ||
| Trade Exception | $0.9m | 01/03/23 | from 1/3/22 trade w/NYK |
| Trade Exception | $0.3m | 02/07/23 | from 2/7/22 trade w/IND |
DRAFT ASSETS
2022 DRAFT:
PICKS
| ROUND | PICK | FROM |
| 1 | 14 | Own Pick |
| 2 | 39 | UTA (12/23/19, w/Dante Exum and 2023 R2 for Jordan Clarkson) |
| 2 | 58 | IND (02/07/22, w/Caris LeVert for Ricky Rubio, 2023 R1 P14 {else 2025 R2, 2026 R2}, 2022 R2, 2027 R2) |
RELINQUISHED
| ROUND | PICK | NOTES |
| 1 | 24 | acquired from MIL (11/18/20), traded to HOU (01/16/21) |
| 2 | 31 | acquired from HOU (02/07/19), traded to IND (02/07/22) |
| 2 | 40 | acquired from WAS (12/07/18), traded to MIN (08/02/21) |
| 2 | 47 | own pick; traded to ATL (01/07/17) |
FUTURE DRAFT ASSETS:
OWN PICKS
| YEAR | ROUND | NOTES |
| 2023 | 1 | To IND if #15-30, else 2nd round pick in 2025 and 2nd round pick in 2026 (02/07/22) |
| 2023 | 2 | To DET if less favorable than pick from GSW (02/06/20) |
| 2024 | 1 | |
| 2024 | 2 | To IND if less favorable than pick from UTA, otherwise UTA will swap picks (02/08/18) |
| 2025 | 1 | |
| 2025 | 2 | |
| 2026 | 1 | |
| 2026 | 2 | |
| 2027 | 1 | |
| 2027 | 2 | |
| 2028 | 1 | |
| 2028 | 2 | |
| 2029 | 1 | |
| 2029 | 2 |
OTHER PICKS ACQUIRED
| YEAR | ROUND | NOTES |
| 2023 | 2 | from UTA via GSW/NOP (12/23/19); to DET if less favorable than Cavaliers own pick (02/06/20) |
| 2024 | 2 | from HOU via GSW/ATL if #56-60 (01/22/21) |
| 2025 | 2 | from MIL (11/18/20) |
| 2026 | 2 | from LAL (11/23/20) |
| 2027 | 2 | from DEN (03/25/21) |
2022-23 GAME PLAN:
Despite ending the season on a bit of a downward spiral, the Cavaliers are approaching next year with unbridled optimism. With everyone’ return to health and the expected development of the young players who are already prominent members of the rotation, it’s not unreasonable for the team to consider themselves legitimate contenders in the Eastern Conference. It’s a deep and talented squad, but there are three specific areas of concern that the team should focus on resolving:
- Backup point guard – for the first half of the year, the Cavaliers had the best on in the league in Ricky Rubio. Once Rubio went down with a season-ending injury, there was no reliable ballhandler to run the offense and to give Garland a break. All reports indicate that Rubio loved it in Cleveland and is willing to re-sign; the Cavs should make that a priority. Rubio won’t be ready at the start of the year but should return in time to reacclimate himself and start hitting his stride in time for a playoff run.
- Sexton / LeVert – Sexton is a restricted free agent, while LeVert is on an expiring deal. It’s doubtful that the team will want to commit to both long-term. The real question is how happy Sexton will be in a reduced role, coming off the bench, playing fewer minutes, and scoring fewer points. If he adapts as well as Love did, his ability to create offense would be a real asset and would provide something that the team was sorely lacking in the second half of last season. LeVert, an Ohio native, has already indicated that he wants to stay in Cleveland long-term. The team needs to determine how well his style and skill set meshes with the other key pieces.
- A consistent swingman – Okoro and Markkanen are key pieces who have opposite skill sets. The Cavaliers need a third reliable swingman to bridge the gap, which will give them flexibility in matching up with their opponents. Cedi Osman, Lamar Stevens, and Dylan Windler all had their moments last year but all were wildly inconsistent, and it was telling that all received DNPs in the play-in loss to the Hawks. The Cavs can use their lottery pick, which will likely be 14th, to try and address this need, where players like Jeremy Sochan, Ochai Agbaji, and Tari Eason may be available, or they could trade whichever of Sexton or LeVert proves to be expendable. This is a need that is unlikely to be filled in free agency, given who is available. Best case scenario is someone like TJ Warren, who hasn’t played in 2 years but is reportedly healthy and can fill it up, or Kyle Anderson, a versatile playmaker and defender who lacks athleticism.
Anything short of a playoff berth in 2022-23 would have to be considered a failure. But there’s a real possibility of an even bigger leap into a top 4 seed, similar to what the Grizzlies accomplished this year. The level this team gets to will depend on its health, the development of its young core, and the front office’s ability to fill out the bench with veterans who can both contribute and who can blend in with what is a generally harmonious locker room.
ASSESSMENT OF ASSETS:
| KEY BUILDING BLOCKS | Allen, Garland, Markkanen, Mobley, Okoro |
| KEY ROLE PLAYERS | Love |
| DEVELOPMENTAL RESERVES | Brown, Stevens, Wade, #14 Pick |
| EXPENDABLE VETERAN RESERVES | Osman |
| EVALUATE | LeVert, Sexton, Windler |
| TRADE | |
| WALK AWAY | Davis, Goodwin, Nembhard, Rondo |
| OPEN ROSTER SPOTS TO FILL FROM TRADES OR FA | 3 |