Does Cleveland Cavaliers GM David Griffin Have Any Moves Left Up His Sleeve?
Since taking over as general manager of the Cleveland Cavaliers, first as interim then full time, perhaps no front-office member in the NBA has been as busy as David Griffin.
In less than a full year, Griffin has orchestrated nine total trades involving 20 players and 18 draft picks.
The Cavaliers roster is almost unrecognizable from when he took over the job on Feb. 6, 2014. Since then, only four of the original 15 players (Kyrie Irving, Anderson Varejao, Tristan Thompson and Matthew Dellavedova) remain on the team.
Griffin moved enough salary to sign hometown hero LeBron James, traded No. 1 draft pick Andrew Wiggins in a package for Kevin Love and recently brought in Iman Shumpert, J.R. Smith and Timofey Mozgov in exchange for Dion Waiters and some picks.
With the team off to a disappointing 20-20 start to the season and precious few trade assets left to improve the Cavs, what can we expect next from Griffin?
More Trades Coming?
The cupboard is beginning to run bare on the Cavaliers' trade chips.
Cleveland will not deal James, Love or Irving, period. It already sent its most attractive piece away, with Waiters dealt to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
This leaves a few, although unlikely, players left whom Griffin could swap to try to improve the team.
The first is Thompson, who's averaging 9.6 points and 8.0 rebounds in 28.8 minutes a game this season. While his upside is limited, Thompson is one of the hardest-working players on the Cavaliers. He's a tremendous offensive rebounder who has proven to be a solid starter or first big off the bench.
After Thompson, the quality of tradeable players really drops off.
The next most attractive name would be rookie Joe Harris. The only remaining draft pick of the past three years that Cleveland hasn't traded away and is still in the league, Harris has played well in limited minutes thus far. His 38.1 percent shooting from three ranks second on the Cavaliers.
Dellavedova is a scrappy defender and role player who's made the most of his minutes with the Cavs. He currently ranks first on the team in three-point shooting (41.4 percent) and third in assists (3.2).
Obviously, from a player standpoint, Griffin doesn't have much to offer. Nor should he want to.
Thompson is one of the few Cavaliers who gives a consistent defensive effort, while Harris and Dellavedova have been the team's best hot hands from deep.
Unlike Waiters, all fit in with the current makeup of the team. Griffin shouldn't be shopping any of the three and probably wouldn't get much in return, anyway.
The other key piece to initiating trades is, of course, draft picks.
For the first time in four years, the Cavs don't have many to spare.
From 2015 to 2019, Cleveland has seven picks that are owed to opposing teams. NBA franchises cannot trade first-round picks in consecutive seasons thanks to former Cavaliers owner Ted Stepien, meaning the next first-rounder Cleveland can offer will fall in 2018.
Given the unpredictability of what three years will bring, Griffin won't be in any hurry to ship off his nearest remaining first-rounder.
Cleveland received a 2015 second-round pick from the Denver Nuggets in the deal for Mozgov but doesn't posses another until next decade (2020, though it may receive protected second-rounders in 2016-17).
The only other usable asset the Cavaliers have remaining following their recent moves is a $915,243 trade exception created from including Lou Amundson in the Waiters deal, per ESPN.
The reality is, Cleveland should now have everything it needs to turn things around. Mozgov provides the center the Cavs coveted after Varejao went down. Shumpert provides perimeter defense, and Smith can ignite an offense at times. The Cavs are out of quality trade assets and must look elsewhere for help.
Expect Griffin, who's been extremely active in his brief tenure, to remain quiet past the deadline on Feb. 19.
Free Agency
After the Cavaliers pulled off their recent moves, Griffin quietly made another roster tweak.
He released point guard A.J. Price for the second time this season, reducing the number of Cavs to 14. Since NBA rosters allow a maximum of 15, Griffin can now sign a player off the free-agent wire should he so choose.
Compared to orchestrating another trade, this is the more realistic option.
Cleveland may not necessarily need another body, but that doesn't mean it couldn't use one.
A few areas of concern remain. With Price waived, the Cavs possess just two point guards with Irving and Dellavedova. Interior defense is still an area of need even with Mozgov, and Cleveland can always use more shooters.
Some names in particular should catch Griffin's eye in free agency.
The first is Emeka Okafor, who hasn't played in a game since 2013. According to Marc Stein of ESPN, Okafor is finally healthy following a neck injury. He's still unsure, however, about a comeback this season or waiting to sign with a team over the summer.
Okafor would give the Cavs some muscle and toughness inside. The 32-year-old big man has averaged 12.3 points, 9.9 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in nine seasons.
A name that has recently become available is veteran guard Nate Robinson, whom Marc Spears of Yahoo Sports believes is already on the Cavaliers' radar.
Robinson was bought out by the Boston Celtics following a trade from the Denver Nuggets and will be looking to latch on to a contender. Cleveland may not qualify yet, but it certainly has the ability to become one.
It's tough to say what kind of a fit Robinson would be, as he's more of a shoot-first guard who hasn't looked the same after tearing an ACL last season.
Griffin would be wise to pass.
Ray Allen, the NBA's all-time leader in three-pointers made, is a target whom many teams have been constantly tracking since this summer.
Griffin had this to say about Allen back in September, via Bob Finnan of The News-Herald and The Morning Journal:
"Until he signs, that’s going to be a target for everybody. Ray is someone who fits us as a shooter. His championship pedigree fits us at a really high level. With James [Jones], Mike [Miller] and LeBron here, I think he’d feel comfortable with our group. At the same time, it’s possible he’s not sure he wants to keep playing. He’s in no hurry to make a decision. We’ll play that out as far as we can.
"
The Cavaliers are shooting just 34.3 percent from deep as a team this season, just 20th in the league, per ESPN. Mike Miller and James Jones have both underperformed when given opportunities.
Allen could still probably roll out of bed and drain some threes with regularity. Expect Griffin to keep the veteran's agent's phone buzzing.
On the Horizon
Taking a look ahead to this summer, Cleveland will have their own first-round draft pick to use (although the Chicago Bulls hold the right to swap selections).
They better get the pick right, because any sort of free agent addition is looking nearly impossible.
If all options are picked up (James, Love, Smith, Mozgov and Miller), the Cavaliers will have roughly $87 million in committed salary (via HoopsHype.com). This is a low-ball figure, as it puts Shumpert ($3.9 million) and Thompson ($7.1 million) at their qualifying offers. Both will see significant pay raises this summer, either by Cleveland or another franchise.
Dan Feldman of NBC Sports predicts that while the salary cap should shoot up significantly in the near future thanks to the NBA's new TV deals, the 2015-16 version could reach just $66 million. That would put the Cavaliers approximately $21 million over the cap already, even without signing a single free agent.
Griffin's main concern will be extending his own players, and perhaps picking up some veterans for the minimum salary as well.
Conclusion
With little compensation to offer via trade, Griffin and the Cavaliers will likely turn to free agency now for help.
While there aren't any clear difference-makers, adding a guy like Allen or Okafor would help bring some experience, shooting or shot-blocking to the Cavs.
Griffin has already done more than enough to provide this team with the necessary pieces to make a deep playoff run. While he may not be completely done tweaking his roster, at some point the Cavaliers are going to have to stop looking over their shoulder and win with what they have.
Of course, Griffin's next move may actually be something he hasn't done since taking the GM job: Nothing.
Greg Swartz has covered the Cleveland Cavaliers for Bleacher Report since 2010.
All stats provided by Basketball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
