The Cleveland Cavaliers have been extremely quiet and passive this offseason. In fact, all they have done is re-sign Kyle Korver and sign Jose Calderon. They were, however, linked to the 36-year-old Zach Randolph and were reportedly likely to sign him, but Randolph chose to ink a two-year, $24 million deal with the Sacramento Kings.
Where does this leave the Cavaliers, who have minimal financial flexibility? They’ve been looking to trade Iman Shumpert to clear cap room but have been unable to find suitors. They had brief talks with the Houston Rockets but the trade discussions never came to fruition.
The Cavaliers’ now have a long-time veteran on their radar
With nothing working out for the cap strapped Cavaliers, they have now turned their attention to another player. According to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press, the Cavaliers have long-time Miami Heat veteran Udonis Haslem on their radar.
Haslem, 37, merely played 16 games last season for the Heat, averaging nearly two points and two rebounds per game. He was serving as mentor to young Heat players last year, which is why he was used scarcely on the basketball court.
Haslem could very easily be attained with a veteran’s minimum deal for one year, but what could he provide for the Cavaliers? The 14-year veteran has won three rings as a member of the Heat, two of them with Cavaliers superstar LeBron James.
But at this stage of his career, Haslem could mainly provide experience and leadership but hardly anything on the floor.
However, Haslem, who has spent his entire career in a Heat uniform, wants to remain in Miami, which is probably a good thing for Cleveland. They already signed Calderon, who basically has nothing left in the tank, to become a backup point guard.
There is no need for them to pay money for another aging veteran that won’t provide much on the court.
What the Cavaliers need to do instead of chasing long-time veterans
The Cavaliers need to aggressively shop Shumpert and possibly other players to clear cap space. Otherwise, they are going to have to settle for old players, who would hardly produce, with the veteran’s minimum deal.
The Cavaliers should also test the market for Tristan Thompson and J.R. Smith. It’s almost as if they are stuck at this moment and don’t know what to do to match the Golden State Warriors, who have already signed a handful of quality players such as Nick Young and Omri Casspi in addition to keeping their core together.
