The Cavaliers are looking to improve this offseason but it sounds like the team won’t be making major splashes. The front office, instead, will bank on internal improvement from their core of young prospects.
“We learned a lot this year. That was a big part of the year, evaluating the talent on hand,” GM Koby Altman said (via Spencer Davies of Basketball News). “And so, knowing what we know and what some of these guys are capable of, now we want to push them.
“Let’s supplement that talent because we know what they’re capable of. Let’s move this thing forward. Let’s add more wins to the ledger. Let’s play meaningful games at the end of the season.”
Darius Garland, Collin Sexton, Isaac Okoro, and Jarrett Allen are essentially the team’s core going forward, though we’re heard rumblings that Sexton could be the odd man out due to financials. The former Alabama point guard is eligible for a rookie-scale extension this summer and with Allen’s looming near $100 million contract in addition to the team’s other commitments, budgeting in Cleveland could get tough.
The Cavs have compiled the NBA’s worst combined record over the past three seasons.
What’s going on with Kevin Love?
Trade speculation about Kevin Love, who has two years and roughly $60.2 million left on his contract, will continue to swirl during the offseason. Love will be 33 when next season starts and all signs point to a departure. However, the organization may not have made a firm decision.
“I think he has a place here with us because we need that veteran leadership,” Altman said. “When we talk to the younger group about that leadership, Kevin does that for us, and off the court as well. And so we wanted him to be here… We signed him to an extension for that reason, to be here when we want to make that next step.
“I think what he’s excited about is the talent of the young crew. If we got it wrong and whiffed on some of these picks, I can see him being even more frustrated; but don’t get me wrong, he’s frustrated with the losing — that’d be like anybody. But I think he sees the future… I think he likes what we have in-house and he’s genuine about that.”
Love believes he can still help a contender and he’s openly spoken about how he’d like to play with Portland at some point in the future. Perhaps Altman is just playing a leverage game in suggesting that he envisions Love on the squad going forward in an attempt to drive up the price for the Blazers or another franchise.
