Cavs Have Spot To Fill; Is Frontcourt Addition On Way?

The Cavaliers could afford to add another big man to the roster. They probably know that. 

They definitely know they have to fill at least one roster spot by February 20. Right now, they’re carrying 13 players. The league requires that you carry at least 14 (and no more than 15). So the Cavs can actually add two if they see fit.

So yes, eventually, they will sign someone. It might be to just a 10-day contract, because those count toward the 14-man requirement.

For instance, last season, president of basketball operations Koby Altman and the front office added forward Marcus Morris on a 10-day deal. That wasn’t signed until March 18. He signed a standard contract for the rest of the season 11 days later.

Morris moved the needle a little. The Cavaliers got lucky. But let’s be honest — most players signed via the buyout market or to 10-day deals end up being little more than practice bodies.

Some, however, make contributions. Either way, it’s always a crapshoot. If a player is available at this time of year … well, it’s generally because no one else wants to pay him a real salary.

Altman and the Cavs are well aware of all this. But sometimes fans forget. You can’t just go out and grab any big man you want. You have to do the research and find a fit in your locker room and in coach Kenny Atkinson‘s schemes. That’s especially the case with the Cavs, who at 43-10 have joined the Oklahoma City Thunder as the NBA season’s most pleasant surprise.

Anyway, the Cavs just traded for forward De’Andre Hunter and want to give him time to adapt. Hunter, by the way, also plays some power forward, as he did at times in his Cleveland debut on Monday.

On the bright side for the Cavs, they can take their time (at least, “time” by NBA standards). They have one more game, Wednesday at Toronto, then go on break for the All-Star game. Their next game after Wednesday isn’t until a week from Thursday.

So they have nine days to sign someone to a 10-day deal or standard contract. It wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see them use all nine days.

What will the Cavs do? This isn’t any inside information, just a wild guess — but I think they’ll float a 10-day offer to someone, a veteran center or power forward, and bring them in for an audition, and then try again if they must. They could also just call up someone from the G League and see how it goes.

When you’re in the position the Cavs are in, you can afford to be as patient as the league allows. Altman has made all the right moves over the past year or two. No reason to doubt him here.

Finally, we have a pretty full list of available veteran free agents right here, updated daily.