Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor linked several players to the Cleveland Cavaliers as potential buyout targets this season.
Fedor named Joe Harris, Furkan Korkmaz, Davis Bertans, Seth Curry and Evan Fournier as potential options. Some of those players have not been bought out of their current deals, and they would need to be by March 1 in order to be postseason eligible.
“Anyone signed in the buyout market would be nothing more than an insurance/depth/situational piece with a sporadic workload,” Fedor wrote. “Despite Cleveland’s 36-17 record and Eastern Conference contender status, willingly agreeing to be an end-of-bench cheerleader or part-time contributor is not very appealing — unless that guy has a flimsy market.
“Harris is an option. He could theoretically add shooting off the bench. The Cavs have monitored Korkmaz for years, even trying to sign him as a free agent in 2021 before he chose to re-up with Philadelphia.
“Keep an eye on Davis Bertans and Seth Curry if either guy receives a buyout from lottery bound Charlotte. Both fit Cleveland’s pass-happy, spaced-out, 3-point-centric system. Veteran Evan Fournier, currently in downtrodden Detroit, would be another possibility — although after being buried on the depth chart and miserable in New York, it’s hard to see him joining another team where he would collect DNPs.”
With the Cavs recently welcoming Darius Garland and Evan Mobley back into the lineup after they missed time with injuries, the team may not have a huge need to add a player through the buyout market.
While many of the players that Fedor mentioned are good outside shooters, the Cavs have a lot of shooting on their roster right now between players like Max Strus, Sam Merrill, Georges Niang, Dean Wade and others.
It’s hard to see the team bringing in one of the players mentioned and having that player immediately fill a role with the franchise. Cavs head coach J.B. Bickerstaff may be more willing to play the guys that have been around all season – especially with the Cavs thriving as of late.
Cleveland has moved into the No. 2 spot in the Eastern Conference standings at the All-Star break, and the Cavs have played well with Garland and Mobley both back in action.
After earning the No. 4 seed in the East last season, Cleveland could position itself in an even better spot this season.
There is still time for more players to be bought out of their deals by March 1, and it’s possible that if the Cavs have an injury before then, they’ll be more aggressive in landing a player that can factor into the rotation.
For now, it appears that the team’s focus would be adding a veteran shooter for depth ahead of the playoff push this season.
