5 Moves Cleveland Cavaliers Can Make Before 2017-18 Season

Greg Swartz@@CavsGregBRX.com LogoCleveland Cavaliers Lead WriterJuly 27, 2017

5 Moves Cleveland Cavaliers Can Make Before 2017-18 Season

0 of 5

    Ron Schwane/Associated Press

    The Cleveland Cavaliers could look very different by the start of the 2017-18 season.

    With the reports of Kyrie Irving's trade request and the new additions of Derrick Rose, Jeff Green, Jose Calderon and Cedi Osman, at least a third of the roster is going to turn over.

    Cleveland hasn't completed its makeover, of course. Irving will likely be gone before training camp, and he may not be the only one.

    As long as LeBron James is in town, the Cavaliers are still the favorite to make it out of the Eastern Conference and face the Golden State Warriors for the fourth straight year. While some minor additions have been completed to make this team more Warriors-ready, no one would consider it the favorite should the two teams meet again.

    Trading Irving for maximum value is on the Cavs' to-do list, but other moves need to be executed as well.

Kyrie Irving Trade

1 of 5

    Rocky Widner/Getty Images

    Let's just start with the obvious.

    While LeBron James has denied he'd like to initiate physical harm to Irving, there's no denying this breakup seems inevitable.

    There's no shortage of deals that could be made for Irving, who at 25 still has two years left on his contract at below market value (approximately $19 million per year, per Spotrac). Heading into Year 7, his resume already includes a Rookie of the Year award, four All-Star trips, an Olympic gold medal and an NBA Championship.

    Cleveland has to be careful in what it gets back for Irving, as it may have a lot to do with James' free-agency decision next summer. A star point guard of comparable skill and salary would be ideal, even though there's not a lot on the market.

    One call the Cavs' front office should make would be to Portland. The Trail Blazers' core is mostly comprised of 22- to 25-year-old's who should hit their prime right as the Warriors' financial situation may have to make them choose between Draymond Green and Klay Thompson.

    Then there's Damian Lillard, who at 27 is in the heart of his prime. He's signed for a modest $115 million over the next four years. Compare this to John Wall, who just got a four-year, $170 million extension, and Lillard looks like a bargain.

    Dealing Irving for Lillard would get the Blazers under the luxury tax this season (something they came close to with the Allen Crabbe deal) and give them another star point guard more in line with their core ages.

    For Cleveland, Lillard would slide right into Irving's spot and thrive alongside James, whom he recently commented on playing with.

    "Just watching from the outside, you see how easy he makes the game for everybody else," Lillard told SI Now. "I'm not sure what it's like playing with LeBron in person, but the player, I'm not sure why anybody wouldn't want to play with him."

    Of all the deals Cleveland could make, getting a cost-controlled star point guard back may be the best.

Deal Iman Shumpert

2 of 5

    Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

    In the Cavaliers' quest to reduce their NBA-leading $141 million payroll and the enormous luxury-tax implications that come with it, Iman Shumpert and his $10 million salary appear to be priority No. 1.

    Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com reported earlier this month the Cavs are indeed trying to look for teams to take Shumpert, who's shown no sustainable progress since arriving from the New York Knicks in 2015.

    While it would be tough to salary-dump Shumpert on a team, he would be a nice complementary piece to put in any Irving trade to make finances work.

    Shumpert is 27 and has $21 million left over two years, the second being a player option. In the right situation, he can still be a good three-and-D player, but he's never going to be a starter in Cleveland with JR Smith around.

    Going back to an Irving-Lillard swap, including Shumpert and asking the Blazers to throw in premier wing defender Al-Farouq Aminu would be a tremendous deal for Cleveland. Aminu is 26 with two years and less than $15 million on his contract.

    With Kyle Korver and Jeff Green likely eating into Shumpert's rotation minutes, it may be time for both sides to part ways.

Fill Out Front Office

3 of 5

    Phil Long/Associated Press

    After parting ways with previous general manager David Griffin and then failing to land Chauncey Billups to run the front office, Cavs majority owner Dan Gilbert ultimately decided to promote from within.

    Cleveland named assistant GM Koby Altman to its head spot after he was given the bulk of responsibility following the parting of Griffin.

    "Over the past month, Koby Altman has led our front office group through this transition period, impressing many inside the franchise and outside the organization, as well. We are very excited that he will now be officially leading the basketball side of our franchise. Koby has the credentials, knowledge, experience and instincts to be an outstanding general manager," Gilbert said in a statement from the team.

    He also acknowledged the front office is far from being complete, especially after Trent Redden, Griffin's No. 2 man, also left the organization.

    "The past month or so has allowed the opportunity for several other talented and hardworking individuals on the basketball side of our business to demonstrate their deep knowledge and capability. We are looking forward to announcing additional restructuring involving these remarkable executives in the very near future" Gilbert said.

    Does this mean Gilbert won't look to hire a team president or another fancy title to oversee Altman? Not necessary. He's traditionally tried to lure in big names for the front office and coaching staff, only to be turned down again and again.

    Altman is more than capable of running the team, especially after working for Griffin, and doesn't need anyone above him to do his job.

Use a Trade Exception Now

4 of 5

    David Maxwell/Getty Images

    The Cavaliers own three total trade exceptions, ranging from less than $1 million to $4.8 million, per Basketball Insiders.

    While all three don't expire until January or February, there is some benefit to using them now.

    Trade exceptions, unlike player salaries, cannot be combined. The Cavs can't use a $4.8 million exception and a $2 million exception to trade for a player making $6.8 million like they could if they sent back a similar amount in salary.

    Having a player to not only contribute on the court but also use for a salary matcher in a larger trade is far more valuable.

    Here's one such example. Everyone could benefit if the Cavs were to call the Oklahoma City Thunder, a team paying luxury tax, about taking empty salary off their hands. Should Cleveland use its trade exception on a player such as Kyle Singler (due $4.6 million), who likely wouldn't play much for the Thunder anyway, it gains a trade asset to use later that can be combined with other salaries.

    Players the Cavs may want to acquire, such as Carmelo Anthony and his $26 million pay rate, would be difficult to match up money with. Using an exception now to add to a tradable asset would help get them closer to such targets.

Look for Upgrades vs. Warriors

5 of 5

    Chuck Burton/Associated Press

    As was the original goal before this chaotic offseason started, everything comes back to matching up with the Warriors.

    Cleveland's best reserve option to defend Kevin Durant in the Finals was Richard Jefferson, he of 37 years of age. This has to change.

    The Cavs did sign Green, a 6'9" forward who held opponents to 31 percent shooting from deep last season, per NBA.com. After Green, who else can help them?

    Rose could do a solid job of running a second unit, but he's not a great defender and shouldn't be matched up with Stephen Curry for extended minutes. Calderon is arguably worse.

    Instead, Cleveland may have to turn to the trade market again to obtain as many athletic wing defenders as it can. As previously mentioned, Aminu of the Trail Blazers fits this mold. As would Michael Kidd-Gilchrist of the Charlotte Hornets or Corey Brewer of the Los Angeles Lakers. The Cavs just need someone who can guard Durant for spells while LeBron can orchestrate the offense, something that worked extremely well in Game 4 of the 2017 Finals, their only win.

    For all the turmoil this team has been through, it's still really, really talented. Focusing on adjustments and improvements to better match the Warriors should remain priority No. 1.

         

    Greg Swartz is the Cleveland Cavaliers' lead writer for Bleacher Report. Stats provided by NBA.com and Basketball Reference unless otherwise noted.

X