The Cleveland Cavaliers have been linked to several players this offseason as they look to improve their wing and guard depth.
Cleveland has a key free agent in wing Caris LeVert, and if it doesn’t bring him back, the team will be left with Cedi Osman, Isaac Okoro and Lamar Stevens to handle most of the small forward minutes.
According to Hoops Wire’s Sam Amico, the team hopes to bring back LeVert in addition to eying other free agents.
“Along with intending to re-sign LeVert, the Cavs have guard/forward Derrick Jones Jr. on their radar, sources said,” Amico wrote.
Jones has spent the last two seasons with the Chicago Bulls, playing mostly a bench role for the team. In the 2022-23 season, Jones averaged 5.0 points and 2.4 rebounds per game while shooting 50.0 percent from the field and 33.8 percent from beyond the arc.
An elite athlete and jumper, Jones could be a solid fit for Cleveland on the defensive end – especially alongside Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland.
There are three other veterans that the Cavs appear to be eyeing as well, according to Amico.
“Shooting guard Josh Richardson ([New Orleans] Pelicans), small forward T.J. Warren ([Phoenix] Suns) and guard Kendrick Nunn ([Washington] Wizards) are among the multiple free agents also said to be drawing interest from Cleveland,” Amico wrote.
Richardson is a strong wing shooter (36.5 percent from 3 this season) that could give the Cavs a boost on offense. He has a slightly more expanded offensive game than the likes of Osman or Okoro, as he averages over 11 points per game for his career.
Warren, who was traded in the Kevin Durant deal to the Suns, has appeared in just 46 games since the start of the 2020-21 season due to injuries. However, he did average 17.9 points per game in the four seasons prior to the 2020-21 campaign.
Nunn, a combo guard, showed some promise with Washington this season, shooting 39.2 percent from 3-point range after being traded by the Los Angeles Lakers.
Any of these players could help the Cavs with their bench depth, and the team is certainly looking to deepen its roster after losing in the first round of the playoffs in the 2022-23 season.
It will be interesting to see who the Cavs land when free agency opens this offseason.
