Cavs’ offseason earns poor marks from one NBA analyst after LeBron miss

The Cavaliers are still waiting to finalize James Harden‘s new contract and remain active in the search for another wing. But at least one national NBA analyst isn’t impressed with how the offseason has unfolded.

Andy Bailey of Bleacher Report handed Cleveland a D+, pointing to the departures of Dean Wade and Keon Ellis, along with the Cavs’ unsuccessful pursuit of LeBron James.

“We’ll operate under the assumption that the Cleveland Cavaliers re-sign James Harden to a reasonable deal,” Bailey wrote. “But even in that case, it’s hard to sell this offseason as a win.”

Bailey argued the Cavs lost three potential rotation players, missed on their biggest free-agent target in James and have yet to replace that production.

Of course, there is also another side to the argument.

The Cavs reached the Eastern Conference finals a year ago and still expect to bring Harden back on a new multiyear contract. They have also added veteran forward Mario Hezonja following six productive seasons in Europe and remain in the mix for wings such as Jonathan Kuminga and Peyton Watson as they continue exploring the trade market.

Bailey did point to one encouraging development, praising second-round pick Meleek Thomas after an impressive Summer League in which the rookie averaged 27.2 points.

If Thomas proves capable of contributing immediately and the Cavs are able to add another wing before training camp, well, hey … the perception of their offseason could change in a hurry.

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