After losing to the Warriors in five games in the NBA Finals, the Cleveland Cavaliers have shown a keen interest in upgrading their roster before next season. That won’t be easy given Cleveland’s cap situation and lack of easy-to-move assets.
The Cavs likely will need to focus on inexpensive options, like veterans bought out of their contracts. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst and Marc Stein put forth two potential candidates that would fit in Cleveland:
Interesting ideas just now on potential Cavs buyout candidates from @WindhorstESPN with us on the @NBAonESPNRadio broadcast: D-Wade and Melo
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) June 23, 2017
For the Cavs, talent like Wade or Anthony would be gladly welcomed to add a scoring punch and make the team deeper. Both have relationships with Cleveland star LeBron James, which could attract them to the Cavs. Wade, of course, played with James for four seasons in Miami, and the duo won two NBA championships together.
Anthony has never played on an NBA team with James, though the two have been teammates in the Olympics and maintain a friendship off the court.
The largest variable in this plan is whether or not Wade and Anthony will actually be bought out by their teams. Wade is likely to opt in for another year of his contract, which would pay him $23.8 million next season. Anthony’s deal expires in the summer of 2019 and will pay him more than $26 million each of the next two seasons.
Shane McNichol covers college basketball and the NBA for Larry Brown Sports. He also blogs about basketball at Palestra Back and has contributed to Rush The Court, ESPN.com, and USA Today Sports Weekly. Follow him on Twitter @OnTheShaneTrain.
