Three Players Cavaliers Could Consider Targeting With Final Roster Spot
They may not have made a ton of moves this NBA offseason, but the Cleveland Cavaliers shocked the NBA world recently when they pulled the trigger on a trade with the Utah Jazz to acquire three-time All Star Donovan Mitchell.
Now having Mitchell alongside Darius Garland, the Cavaliers have an All Star backcourt and they also have a potential All Star frontcourt as well with Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley.
This Cavaliers team has a chance to be special this upcoming season and for the foreseeable future, but their roster is not fully constructed yet for the 2022-23 season.
Cleveland currently has 14 players under contract heading into training camp, two of which have non-guaranteed contracts. Still having one open roster spot, the Cavaliers have some options on what they could possibly do.
Maybe the Cavs will hold off on signing anyone else and they will keep this roster spot open until some time during the regular season, but it would make a lot of sense for Cleveland to add depth on the wing, especially some shooting depth seeing as they do not look like that strong of a three-point shooting team.
Ranking 15th in the league a season ago in perimeter shooting, the Cavaliers do not have many consistent three-point shooters on their roster, which is why adding one with their final roster spot could be very appealing.
Here are three players who still remain free agents in the month of September that the Cavs could consider taking a look at.
Wayne Ellington
He may not be an electric scorer, but Wayne Ellington has been the epitome of consistent out on the perimeter his entire career. Playing with the Los Angeles Lakers last season, Ellington shot 38.9% from deep on over 200 total attempts and for his career, the 34-year-old wing has shot 38.2% from three-point range.
A true spot-up, catch-and-shoot threat from beyond the arc, Ellington understands his role coming off-the-bench late in his career and could really be a valuable addition to this younger Cavaliers team.
What could make Cleveland very special this upcoming year is not necessarily their young stars, but their veteran leadership and depth. Kevin Love, Caris LeVert, Ricky Rubio, Robin Lopez and Raul Neto are all experienced talents that have and will take on leadership roles for this team, specifically in the second-unit.
Adding Wayne Ellington to the mix gives the Cavaliers yet another veteran player to be a voice of reason and someone who has already played 13 seasons in the NBA.
Depth is everything in the NBA, especially late in the season, and having a player out on the wing who is more than capable of knocking down shots in volume from the perimeter is invaluable.
Ellington is more than willing to play on a minimum contract and seeing as he has shot close to 40% from three-point range over the last three seasons, he is certainly an option the Cavaliers should consider.
Ben McLemore
Much like Wayne Ellington, it is surprising not to see Ben McLemore on an NBA roster right now simply because he has played his role to perfection over the years as an avid three-point shooter on the wing.
Still only 29-years-old, McLemore has plenty of time before he begins to trend towards the end of his career and he has been a high-level three-point shooter teams have utilized off-the-bench in recent years.
Shooting 36.3% from deep for his career, McLemore shot 36.2% from long-range with the Portland Trail Blazers a season ago. He is consistent, he embraces his bench role and he is a physical defender, which is why Ben McLemore could fit in with Cleveland.
Recently working out with the Golden State Warriors, McLemore still wants to be in this league and he can be a potential double-digit scorer off-the-bench every other night for the Cavaliers, a young and contending team in the Eastern Conference.
The one thing the Cleveland Cavaliers need right now is consistent catch-and-shoot perimeter threats and Ben McLemore is exactly this kind of player.
Tony Snell
What many may not know about Tony Snell is that he led the league in three-point shooting (min. 100 attempts) during the 2020-21 season when he shot 56.9% from long-range. Snell also achieved the first “50/50/100” season in NBA history that year by also shooting 51.5% from the floor and 100% from the free-throw line.
A former first-round pick that could never find consistency early on in his career, Snell is now 30-years-old and has been labeled to be a “3-and-D” type of player out on the perimeter.
For his career, Snell has shot 39.4% from three-point range and defensively he brings value because of his ability to keep his opponents in front of him.
Tony Snell plays physical, he is extremely dangerous shooting from the corner and would be more than grateful for the opportunity to be a bench player for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Out of all the players mentioned, he is probably the one that makes the most sense for the Cavs, yet Cleveland has yet to show any interest in utilizing their 15th roster spot ahead of the start of training camp.
He may not be the greatest athlete nor a high-level scorer, but Tony Snell gets the job done on both ends of the floor out on the perimeter and this is all the Cavaliers would need of him.
