Where the Cavaliers depth chart stands after a quiet start to free agency

Free agency began for the Cleveland Cavaliers on a quieter note. But following the initial flurry of deals around the league over the first two days, the Cavs began to make some moves. There was no blockbuster trade or big-name free-agent signing, but they have made several smaller moves to add depth in weaker spots — and traded for a center to make up for the loss of Tristan Thompson.

Let’s be clear: Quiet isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It just lacked the excitement of a big name coming to town, which seemed unlikely from the beginning given (1) the Cavs’ salary-cap situation, (2) Cleveland isn’t a free-agent destination and (3) the team is in the middle of a multiyear rebuild. That approach puts the focus more on the players already on their roster, rather than adding players from elsewhere.

[RELATED: 2020 NBA trade and free-agency tracker: Latest news and rumors]

The Cavs’ biggest success of the offseason has been landing draft pick Isaac Okoro, who, as a defensive-minded wing, fills a position of need. 

Cleveland entered free agency without much flexibility, with $107.2 million in guaranteed obligations including Andre Drummond’s player option. They made their biggest move at the trade deadline last February when they traded John Henson, Brandon Knight and a future second-round pick for the 27-year-old Drummond. The hope was that they would have a trial period to see how Drummond fit alongside the team’s young core and if the added height could help solve some of the Cavs’ defensive woes. But eight games and a pandemic aren’t enough to offer a true evaluation. 

Still, their approach paid off, as Drummond decided to exercise his $28.8 million player option, thereby giving the Cavs more time to evaluate him and determine if there is a fit for the future. The franchise could offer him a contract extension this season, or he could be packaged in a trade because of the attractiveness of his expiring deal.

Cleveland’s other internal move came with the return of 30-year-old Matthew Dellavedova on a one-year minimum deal on Monday. Dellavedova adds to the depth at point guard and brings with him locker-room presence and veteran leadership. He and Kevin Love are the last two players remaining from the Cavs’ 2016 championship team.

The move that affected the Cavs’ plan the most was Tristan Thompson signing a two-year, $19 million contract with the Celtics on Saturday after spending all nine seasons of his career in Cleveland. Drummond sticking around made a new deal for Thompson unlikely, even though there was momentum on Friday that Thompson could potentially return to Cleveland. But the news of his departure created a need to add another center. 

The Cavs then traded Alfonzo McKinnie and Jordan Bell to the Lakers for center JaVale McGee and a 2026 second-round pick. The pick was an incentive for the Cavs to take on McGee’s contract and clear the space the Lakers needed to sign Marc Gasol. McGee started 68 games last season for the Lakers, averaging 6.6 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.4 blocks a game. He gives the Cavs veteran experience and another much-needed rim protector. McGee is also a free agent in 2021, so the Cavs could also flip him later on. 

Cleveland also announced it has acquired a 2025 second-round pick from Milwaukee for the removal of the protections on the Bucks’ 2022 first-round pick — it is now unprotected.

Another move brought former Knicks guard Damyean Dotson to Cleveland on a two-year, $4 million deal. Dotson spent the last three seasons with New York. He appeared in 48 games this past season, averaging 17.4 minutes and 6.7 points but did not start a game. Dotson saw his playing time dip after the Knicks picked RJ Barrett in last year’s draft. Dotson can shoot the 3 and plays solid defense, so he can be an option off the bench as a backup shooting guard. His best year came in 2018-19 when he averaged 10.7 points a game on 41.5 percent shooting from the field and 36.8 percent from 3-point range. He also added 3.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 0.8 steals in 27.5 minutes a night. 

What the moves mean

These transactions bring the Cavs roster to 14 players. The franchise is around $11 million under the luxury-tax line with the addition of Dotson’s and Dellavedova’s contracts, and it still has money available via the mid-level exception. 

They could ride into training camp with one open roster spot, leaving a chance for a camp invite to earn a spot, like former Michigan wing Charles Matthews, who agreed to an Exhibit-10 deal with the Cavs. Cleveland also has filled both two-way contract spots with Matt Mooney and former Penn State forward Lamar Stevens, who went undrafted last week but agreed to a deal with the Cavs that night.

The additions of McGee and Dotson — along with the re-signing of Dellavedova — don’t make for a drastic improvement from last season, but the additions don’t hurt them, either. Rather, they give the coaching staff additional rotation options, and they’ll give the currently rostered players a chance to improve. They plug holes in the roster, adding veteran experience for the short term. 

Still, the Cavs are looking to the future. This is Year 3 of their rebuild, but after a less-than-ideal situation during the 2019-20 season, some of the franchise’s expectations may need to change. They will look for growth from their young players, especially on the defensive end of the floor. That’s the next step in the right direction for their rebuild. 

Much of the Cavs’ growth was always going to come internally. The front office and coaching staff knew that. These moves in free agency demonstrate that. They aren’t in win-now mode, making major roster moves to try and jump into a playoff spot like the Atlanta Hawks have done. While the desire to compete for the eighth seed in the East has been discussed, it’s more of a goal for the Cavs to be in the conversation for such a spot. 

But even that will require some serious growth. Coach J.B. Bickerstaff can implement his system and use this year to achieve that growth. They need time to allow their younger players — Darius Garland, Collin Sexton, Kevin Porter Jr., Dylan Windler and Okoro — the opportunity to develop. 

What does the depth chart look like?

When Bickerstaff became the head coach in February, he spoke about experimenting with different lineups and combinations of players on the floor to find the best fit. They didn’t get to use the final stretch of games last season for that purpose, but training camp will be another chance for Bickerstaff to work on different rotations. 

Here’s a look at the projected depth chart heading into training camp. 

Cleveland Cavaliers depth chart

	Starters	Substitutes
Point guard	Darius Garland	Matthew Dellavedova
Shooting guard	Collin Sexton	Dante Exum	Damyean Dotson
Small forward	Cedi Osman	Isaac Okoro	Kevin Porter Jr.	Dylan Windler
Power forward	Kevin Love	Larry Nance Jr.	Dean Wade
Center	Andre Drummond	JaVale McGee

There’s always the potential for different rotations of players here as well. Toward the end of last season, Bickerstaff utilized a big lineup that featured Nance at small forward, Love at power forward and Drummond at center — and it yielded some success. 

One of the main questions for training camp will be working through the rotations at small forward and wing. Porter had a successful rookie season, and there’s excitement about the return of Windler. How does the addition of Okoro factor in?

Bickerstaff said during Okoro’s introductory press conference that he will have a chance to compete for a starting position, but that it will have to be earned. Both Garland and Sexton were put into the starting lineup during their rookie years, so there is a chance that Okoro breaks into the starting five if he shows promise.

(Top photo of Andre Drummond, Kevin Love and Collin Sexton: Jason Miller / Getty Images)