Ducks

The Cleveland Cavaliers are the hottest team in the Eastern Conference, winning 14 of their last 15 games. The Cavs are currently 32-16, which is their best record through 48 games in five years.
With Monday night&rsquo;s win over the Sacramento Kings, the Cavaliers have climbed past the Milwaukee Bucks for second place in the Eastern Conference standings and first place in the Central Division. They are now just five games behind the Boston Celtics for first in the East.
This is somewhat uncharted territory for &lsquo;The Land&rsquo; as they have not been on any kind of streak like this before. Since 2024 began, they have the league&rsquo;s best record at 15-2 to surpass the franchise record for the best start to a calendar year. LeBron James&rsquo; 2008, 2010 and 2016 Cavaliers teams previously held the record with 12-3 marks.
Two of those James-led teams lost to the Finals-bound Celtics (2008 and 2010) while the 2016 squad won it all, which bodes well for this version of the Cavaliers with championship aspirations.
Their next 10 games to close out February include six teams below .500 and two games against a Philadelphia 76ers team without reigning MVP Joel Embiid, meaning this hot streak could continue. Their upcoming schedule is at Washington, at Brooklyn, at Toronto, vs. Philadelphia, vs. Chicago, vs. Orlando, at Phildelphia, at Washington, vs. Dallas and at Chicago.
The key to Cleveland&rsquo;s hot streak has been their main cog, Donovan Mitchell. Recently named to his fifth straight All-Star Game, the 6-foot-3 guard is averaging 28.2 points, 6.4 assists, 5.5 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game this season. The superb Mitchell has been willing the Cavs to win. What&rsquo;s more impressive is that Mitchell started this hot streak without fellow centerpieces Darius Garland and Evan Mobley in the lineup (although they have since returned from injuries).
Now, with Garland and Mobley back in the fold, the Cavaliers are even more lethal offensively and defensively as they look to contend in the Eastern Conference. Mobley&rsquo;s return has been impactful for Cleveland as they are tied for the best defense in the league in 2024, having a defensive rating of 105.4 along with the new-look New York Knicks.
The Cavaliers also filled a big need in the offseason by adding shooters Max Strus and Georges Niang in free agency. In last year&rsquo;s playoffs, they were exposed by the Knicks as they lacked outside shooting to complement Mitchell and Garland&rsquo;s drives and pick-and-roll actions with non-shooting big men Mobley and Jarrett Allen.&nbsp;
This season, the Cavs&rsquo; offseason signing of Strus has been huge, with the 6-foot-6 wing providing the necessary spacing. Strus was immediately inserted into the starting lineup over mainstays Caris LeVert and Isaac Okoro and it has done wonders for Cleveland.
Off the bench, Niang also provides the same threat from outside in certain situations. The Cavs also rewarded Sam Merrill with some playing time, and he&rsquo;s been balling and shooting the ball at a high clip as of late, helping the team go on this amazing run.
Speaking of LeVert and Okoro, both wings have made noticeable improvements from last season with each playing a specified role suited to their strengths. LeVert comes in as a secondary playmaker and shotmaker to ease the burden on Garland and Mitchell, while Okoro plays lockdown defense on the opponent&rsquo;s best perimeter player as well as providing timely cuts to the rim and knocking down the occasional three-pointer.
Moreover, head coach J.B. Bickerstaff has found his ideal rotation now that they&rsquo;re fully healthy again. Garland, Mitchell, Strus, Mobley and Allen are the team&rsquo;s usual starting five, and then off the bench comes Dean Wade, Okoro and LeVert. The Cavs always leave one big on the floor at all times (either Mobley or Allen) when the bench players come in while Garland and Mitchell&rsquo;s minutes get staggered in the middle of quarters. Niang and Merrill are their ninth and 10th men, providing a deep bench whenever they need extra shooting on the floor or when Strus struggles from outside.
Now, the Cavaliers will try to finish the season strong and hope that their regular-season success will translate to the postseason.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are the hottest team in the Eastern Conference, winning 14 of their last 15 games.

The Cavs are playing their best basketball of the Donovan Mitchell era

With the NBA&rsquo;s 2023 free-agency period pretty much wrapped up, why not take a look at how projecting next year's free-agent market? Obviously, a lot can change between now and then, but let&rsquo;s examine each team&rsquo;s cap situation and how much cap room they project to have next summer.&nbsp;
Next year&rsquo;s free-agency class could feature some big names, including Kawhi Leonard, Pascal Siakam, Tyrese Maxey (restricted), Paul George, LeBron James, James Harden, Jrue Holiday, OG Anunoby and DeMar DeRozan.&nbsp;
For the purposes of this exercise, I&rsquo;m going to separate teams into four spending-power tiers: Cap Space Teams, Non-Tax MLE Teams, Luxury Tax Teams and Second Apron Teams. Also, let's assume that the salary cap will be set at $149,623,000 and the luxury tax will come in at $181,823,000, the maximum 10% jump from this upcoming season set under the new CBA.
CAP SPACE TEAMS
Teams in this tier are currently projected to have cap space next summer. They have spending access to their cap space, Bird Rights, the Room Exception (projected at $8,495,000) and the Veteran Minimum Exception.
San Antonio Spurs ($77,195,776 under the cap) If Victor Wembanyama is 70% as good as he&rsquo;s hyped up to be entering this season, one would figure that the Spurs will spend big or at least make a meaningful impact on the free-agent market next summer. They project to have an enormous amount of cap space, so it&rsquo;s very possible we&rsquo;ll see San Antonio take on some more bad contracts in trades to give them even more draft capital. Also, they&rsquo;ll want to retain Devin Vassell, who will be a restricted free agent next offseason once the Spurs extend his qualifying offer.
Philadelphia 76ers ($73,034,842 under the cap) The Sixers are perhaps the most interesting team in terms of their 2024 offseason outlook. By letting Tyrese Maxey hit restricted free agency next summer rather than extending him this year, Philadelphia gave themselves serious cap flexibility. Tobias Harris and James Harden both have expiring contracts, so the Sixers will have to use their cap space to replace their production. A Harden trade would obviously change their projected cap room, but it remains to be seen what they&rsquo;ll get back for the former MVP and how much it&rsquo;ll impact their books.
Toronto Raptors ($60,339,034 under the cap) After losing Fred VanVleet, the Raptors are walking a tightrope when it comes to whether they&rsquo;ll compete or rebuild. They face some tough decisions. Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby are both set to hit free agency next summer, so Toronto needs to decide whether they want to extend or trade their best players. Not to mention, Precious Achiuwa and Gary Trent Jr. also need new contracts.
Orlando Magic ($58,010,944 under the cap) Orlando has a lot of options for next summer, but the Magic may start with retaining many of their own players. Franz Wagner will likely receive a big contract extension, while Markelle Fultz and Cole Anthony will be up for new contracts. Given that Orlando has a logjam in their backcourt &ndash; with Fultz, Anthony, Jalen Suggs and Anthony Black &ndash; it&rsquo;ll be interesting to see what they do with Fultz and Anthony. The Magic will still have plenty of room to add quality talent for yearly average values over the NTMLE.
Detroit Pistons ($57,781,166 under the cap) Detroit may approach the 2024 offseason similar to how Houston approached this summer, as a young team hoping to use its massive cap space on good veterans in order to take bigger steps toward playoff contention. With that said, the first priority for the team will be agreeing to a contract extension with Cade Cunningham.
Utah Jazz ($50,315,319 under the cap) The Jazz find themselves in a unique position where they could go in two directions. After committing a three-year deal to Jordan Clarkson, they can use their cap space to give 2023 Most Improved Player Lauri Markkanen a contract extension. If they want to have significant cap space for next summer instead, they can hold off on giving Markkanen an extension until free agency is settled.
Washington Wizards ($47,123,801 under the cap) Despite their cap space next year, don&rsquo;t expect Washington to be a big player in 2024 free agency. In the beginning stages of a rebuild, the Wizards will probably keep their sights on collecting more draft capital. They do have an interesting decision coming up with recent trade acquisition Tyus Jones, whom they&rsquo;ll likely want to keep long-term.&nbsp;
Charlotte Hornets ($41,300,515 under the cap)&nbsp; They may lose some 2024 cap space if they eventually re-sign PJ Washington this offseason, but watch out for Charlotte to be one of the many small-market teams with money to spend next summer. With LaMelo Ball in the first year of his max contract extension, Charlotte may cash in on a marquee player to keep their young star happy.
Brooklyn Nets ($33,048,185 under the cap) The Nets do have the potential to have significant cap space next summer if they choose not to re-sign most of their own free agents. However, the Nets will more than likely focus on exploring the trade market and retaining big man Nic Claxton before reaching next year&rsquo;s free agency. Spencer Dinwiddie and Royce O&rsquo;Neale will also hit free agency next offseason.
Indiana Pacers ($20,488,005 under the cap) Indiana could get to an even higher number in cap space if they decline Bruce Brown&rsquo;s $23 million team option next season. If Brown has a good year, the Pacers would likely keep him on a long-term deal that would consume a good chunk of their space. Other impending free agents they might like to keep include Obi Toppin, Aaron Nesmith and Jalen Smith.
Oklahoma City Thunder ($10,264,814 under the cap) The Thunder will likely continue to utilize the strategy of taking on short-term, bad-money contracts in exchange for draft capital. As they inch closer to contention, they will be looking at some big-money extensions for many of their young pieces, including one for Josh Giddey next year.&nbsp;
NON-TAX MLE TEAMS
Teams in this tier are currently projected to be over the salary cap but under the luxury tax. They have spending access to Bird Rights, the Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception (projected at $13,644,000), the Bi-Annual Exception (projected at $4,968,000) unless used in 2023-24, and the Veteran Minimum Exception.
Chicago Bulls ($19,465,689 under the cap) The Bulls could potentially operate as a cap-space team if they elect to let DeMar DeRozan and Patrick Williams walk in free agency, but that seems unlikely. In addition, the Bulls could potentially create more space if Lonzo Ball&rsquo;s knee injury is considered career-ending by an NBA/NBPA-appointed physician. (Ball would still be paid, it just wouldn&rsquo;t count against the cap).&nbsp;
Sacramento Kings ($210,669 under the cap) The Kings used up most of their cap space by signing Domantas Sabonis to a big four-year extension that ties him with the team through 2028. As long as they are competitive, they will likely pursue quality pieces with their Non-Tax MLE to support Sabonis and De&rsquo;Aaron Fox. They will also likely try to keep Malik Monk and look at extension options for Davion Mitchell.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/pels.jpg" alt="" width="728" height="485" />
New Orleans Pelicans ($487,911 over the cap) The Pelicans are fairly set with their core of CJ McCollum, Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram under contract through 2025. Ingram and McCollum are both extension-eligible this offseason, but the Pelicans may wait on dishing out extensions to maintain flexibility under the tax. New Orleans must also monitor Jonas Valanciunas&rsquo; free agency and a possible extension for Trey Murphy III.&nbsp;
Atlanta Hawks ($1,658,172 over the cap) Similar to the Kings, the Hawks wiped away their cap space when they signed Dejounte Murray and De&rsquo;Andre Hunter to four-year, $120 million and four-year, $90 million extensions, respectively. Already pushing past the salary cap, the Hawks may face a money crunch as they broach the luxury tax line. Retaining restricted free agents Onyeka Okongwu and Saddiq Bey next offseason may be tricky.
Los Angeles Clippers ($5,018,261 over the cap) The Clippers are in an interesting spot with George and Leonard both needing new deals, which they will likely get despite their inability to stay on the floor. Many veterans with big salaries will come off the books next year, like Marcus Morris, Nic Batum and Robert Covington. The question is whether the Clippers will continue to commit significant capital to a roster that hasn&rsquo;t met its lofty expectations.
Miami Heat ($7,751,630 over the cap) The Miami Heat are in a holding pattern with their roster as they engage in a Mexican standoff with the Blazers on a Damian Lillard trade, which could see them skyrocket into the deep tax. Outside of the Dame situation, Jimmy Butler will likely look for another big extension this offseason, which will pay him max money deep into his late 30s. They will also have to contend with potentially losing Caleb Martin, who has a player option for 2024-25.
Houston Rockets ($8,734,919 over the cap) The biggest spenders of this past offseason, the Rockets made big moves for Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks. Houston could get back into the cap-space tier again if they choose to part ways with Kevin Porter Jr. and his non-guaranteed $15.9 million salary. Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun will also be up for extensions.&nbsp;
Cleveland Cavaliers ($11,399,749 over the cap) The Cavs are pretty set going into the 2023-24 season and beyond with two max guys (Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell) and key guys on fairly big deals (Jarrett Allen, Caris LeVert and Max Strus). They will likely give Evan Mobley a big extension next offseason, which could push them into the luxury tax in the near future. For next offseason, their only notable free agent is Isaac Okoro.
New York Knicks ($11,400,861 over the cap) This morning, the Knicks inked Josh Hart to a four-year contract extension that pushed them over the cap for 2024-25. Their main concerns for next summer are Immanuel Quickley and Isaiah Hartenstein, who are both up for new contracts. They will likely be able to avoid the tax by declining their team option on Evan Fournier or trading his expiring contract for another expiring deal.
Dallas Mavericks ($13,566,153 over the cap) The Mavericks are not likely to seek pathways to cap space next summer after doubling down on their trade for Kyrie Irving by re-signing him to a three-year, $120 million deal. They should look to retain Josh Green, who will be a restricted free agent. Luka Doncic&rsquo;s happiness looms over all of the Mavs&rsquo; moves, as ESPN&rsquo;s Tim McMahon <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/mavs-fear-luka-doncic-may-request-trade-unless-they-build-contender">reported in April</a> that the Mavericks are worried about Doncic potentially seeking a trade elsewhere as soon as next year.
Los Angeles Lakers ($15,380,636 over the cap) The Lakers had a pathway to almost two max slots in the unlikely scenario that they decided to pivot from the LeBron-AD era. However, that option is out the window with them inking Davis to a three-year supermax extension that will keep him with the team through 2028. LeBron James&rsquo; decision to stay with the team or leave will ultimately dictate how the Lakers approach spending next offseason.
Portland Trail Blazers ($20,567,876 over the cap) Portland is in the midst of turning the page to a new era as they look to accommodate franchise cornerstone Damian Lillard&rsquo;s trade request. If they do end up trading Lillard, expect their cap numbers to come down slightly, but not enough to get any meaningful space. Whether Lillard is traded for the Miami package or something else, Portland shouldn&rsquo;t be a major player in free agency for a while.&nbsp;
LUXURY TAX TEAMS
Teams in this tier are currently projected to be over the salary cap and luxury tax. They have spending access to Bird Rights, the Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception (projected at $5,500,000), and the Veteran Minimum Exception.
Minnesota Timberwolves ($14,474,085 under the tax) The Timberwolves have paid the luxury tax only once since 2007. They should be a tax team once again, with Karl-Anthony Towns' supermax extension and Anthony Edwards' max extension kicking in. In addition, Minnesota will need to use significant capital to keep players like Jaden McDaniels, Mike Conley and Kyle Anderson, all of whom will be free agents in 2024.
Golden State Warriors ($9,696,462 under the tax) While the Warriors are currently under the tax, they are likely going to re-sign 2024 free agent Klay Thompson to a long-term deal at a lower number or at least use his Bird Rights to acquire another piece at a similar number. Golden State can cut some costs by releasing Chris Paul after the season, as his $30 million salary for 2024-25 is non-guaranteed.
Milwaukee Bucks ($6,142,529 under the tax) The Bucks re-signed Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez to big-money deals, committing to the players who won them the 2021 title. Another one of those players, Jrue Holiday, is set to reach free agency and will likely demand max money. In addition, Giannis Antetokounmpo becomes eligible for a supermax extension of up to three years in October and can sign a four-year supermax extension next offseason.
Denver Nuggets ($6,732,627 over the tax) The defending champs have their core of Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr. and Aaron Gordon locked in through the 2025 offseason. They&rsquo;ve already lost Bruce Brown and Jeff Green this summer and will be forced to work around the edges with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope potentially heading for free agency next summer.
Boston Celtics ($7,306,800 over the tax) The trade for Kristaps Porzingis pushed the Celtics into the luxury tax for the first time since 2018, and that was before they signed Jaylen Brown to a five-year supermax extension. With Jayson Tatum&rsquo;s own supermax extension on the horizon next year, the Celtics figure to be a tax team, and potentially a second apron team, for the foreseeable future.
SECOND APRON TEAMS
Teams in this tier are currently projected to be over the salary cap, luxury tax and second luxury tax apron ($17.5 million over the tax). They have spending access to just Bird Rights and the Veteran Minimum Exception. The second apron was introduced in the new CBA and prevents teams from using the Taxpayer MLE, trading first-round picks seven years away, signing buyout free agents and taking back more salary than they send out in trades among other restrictions.
Memphis Grizzlies ($13,829,477 over the tax) For the first time under owner Robert Pera, the Grizzlies will be paying the luxury tax. While Memphis probably won&rsquo;t reach the second apron, they are not likely to have enough spare capital to use their Tax MLE and be able to fill out their roster without going over it. Their core of Ja Morant, Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. are locked up to big money, long-term deals that will keep Memphis among the league's biggest spenders for likely the next decade-plus.
Phoenix Suns ($27,039,607 over the tax) Phoenix is by far the most limited team when it comes to spending, and they will be for the next few seasons after trading for Bradley Beal&rsquo;s behemoth contract. With four max contracts, including two supermax contracts, the Suns have blown through the second apron. Like this past offseason, the supporting cast around their core four will be mostly minimum-salary contracts.

How much cap room is your favorite NBA team projected to have next summer? Blake Stern breaks down where all 30 teams stand.

Which NBA teams project to have the most cap space in 2024?

CLEVELAND (AP) &mdash; With All-Star Julius Randle back in New York, the Knicks needed someone to step up.
Jalen Brunson did that, and more.
New York&rsquo;s point guard scored a career-high 48 points and the Knicks moved closer to a playoff berth while waiting for Randle to get healthy, outrunning the Cleveland Cavaliers 130-116 on Friday night.
&ldquo;There is nothing that Jalen does that surprises you,&rdquo; Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s so mentally tough. He&rsquo;s nicked up a little bit, but he&rsquo;s a machine. He just keeps going.&rdquo;
Brunson credited his teammates and coaches for his big night, which included seven 3-pointers and nine assists. He finished 18 of 32 from the floor.
&ldquo;They had confidence in me and the ball just went through the hole,&rdquo; said Brunson, who scored 44 in a loss to Milwaukee on Jan. 9. &ldquo;I just kept shooting with confidence and that&rsquo;s just how it went.&rdquo;
The Knicks reduced their magic number to one in their first game without Randle, who sprained his left ankle Wednesday and will miss the rest of the regular season. New York hopes he&rsquo;ll be back for the postseason and a potential first-round matchup against the Cavs.
New York won the season series 3-1 and denied Cleveland a chance to lock up home-court advantage in the first round.
&ldquo;This loss hurts,&rdquo; said Donovan Mitchell, who led Cleveland with 42 points. &ldquo;We need to feel it and be ready to use it when the time comes. Obviously, we control our destiny and we&rsquo;ll probably see these guys in two weeks.
&ldquo;There is a lot of film to go through. But if we let this affect us, we have no chance in the playoffs.&rdquo;
Leading by three, the Knicks outscored the Cavs 14-2 to open the fourth and get some breathing room in a game played at a frenetic pace. The teams combined for 89 points in the first quarter and 151 in the first half.
The Cavs got within 123-116 before Brunson put the Cavs away with a layup following a timeout and then a 3-pointer. He missed a floater in the final seconds that would have given him 50 points.
Did he want 50?
&ldquo;Who wouldn&rsquo;t?&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I was going to hold the ball out, but they doubled and I guess that means keep playing. No disrespect to them. They played to the buzzer. I have the most respect in the world for that coaching staff. You got to keep playing.&rdquo;
Brunson, who averages 23.6 points, scored 33 in a wild first half without much defense.
The teams combined for 89 points in the first quarter, tying the third most in the first 12 minutes of a game in NBA history. The record of 91 is shared by Utah and Denver (1982), and Miami and Washington (2021).
Also, Cleveland&rsquo;s 47 points in the first quarter were the most in the franchise&rsquo;s 53-year history.
The Cavs were without two of their top defenders, center Jarrett Allen (groin) and Isaac Okoro (knee).
TEMPER TEMPER
The Knicks had a moment of drama.
During a timeout in the third quarter, New York starters RJ Barrett and Obi Toppin got into a shouting match and had to be separated.
Thibodeau downplayed the conflict.
&ldquo;The cameras are everywhere and it probably happens more than people realize,&rdquo; Thibodeau said. &ldquo;It was the heat of the moment. Sometimes, there is a difference of opinion, but those guys are fine with each other. These things happen.&rdquo;
Later, in the locker, Toppin had his arm around a smiling Barrett.
&ldquo;This is my brother,&rdquo; Toppin said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re good.&rdquo;
RANDLE UPDATE
The Knicks will re-evaluate Randle in two weeks, ahead of the playoffs, which start on April 15 or 16.
Thibodeau said the 30-year-old forward, who started the Knicks&rsquo; first 77 games, is in good spirits and working toward his return.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s done all he can to prepare himself to play in every game, which is a credit to him. He doesn&rsquo;t miss practice. He doesn&rsquo;t miss games. I&rsquo;m actually surprised it doesn&rsquo;t happen more than it does,&rdquo; Thibodeau said.
TIP-INS
Knicks: New York is one of five East teams &mdash; and four in the Atlantic Division &mdash; with a winning road record. ... G Derrick Rose (illness) was unavailable for the third consecutive game. The 14th-year veteran fell out of the rotation in December and has only played 141 seconds in 2023.
Cavaliers: Mitchell has 11 games of at least 40 points, breaking the previous team record for one season held by LeBron James (2005-6). ... Allen, who averages 9.9 rebounds, missed his second straight game. He recently sat out four games with a bruised right eye. ... Cleveland remains two shy of its first 50-win season since 2018.
UP NEXT
Knicks: Host Washington on Sunday.
Cavaliers: Host Indiana on Sunday.

Jalen Brunson scored a career-high 48 points and the Knicks moved closer to a playoff berth after beating the Cavs 130-116 on Friday.

Brunson scores 48, Knicks down Cavs 130-116 without Randle

ATLANTA (AP) &mdash; Dejounte Murray sank three free throws with 2:14 remaining to give Atlanta the lead and added a fall-away jumper with less than a minute left to lead the Hawks to a 120-118 win over the short-handed Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night.
Murray led Atlanta with 29 points and Onyeka Okongwu added a season-high 21. The Hawks remained tied with Toronto, which beat Miami 106-92 on Tuesday night, for the eighth-best record in the Eastern Conference.
The Cavaliers held out starting forward Isaac Okoro (left knee soreness) and center Jarrett Allen (strained right groin) and were led by Donovan Mitchell&rsquo;s 44 points. Mitchell, who surpassed 10,000 career points, tied LeBron James&rsquo; Cavaliers record of10 games of 40-or-more points in a season.
With Atlanta&rsquo;s win, NBA- and Eastern Conference-leading Milwaukee clinched the Central Division title.
WARRIORS 120, PELICANS 109
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) &mdash; Stephen Curry had 39 points with eight 3-pointers, eight rebounds and eight assists, Jordan Poole added 21 points and Golden State rallied past New Orleans.
Klay Thompson scored 17 and hit five 3s to set a single-season career high of 278, which leads the NBA. Draymond Green was whistled for a double technical for tussling with Brandon Ingram late in the second quarter &mdash; and Green&rsquo;s foul was upgraded to a Flagrant 1. He already served a one-game suspension March 17 at Atlanta for his 16th technical.
The Warriors moved up a spot into sixth place in the crowded Western Conference standings, a half-game up on Minnesota and 1 1/2 games ahead of New Orleans. The top six teams are guaranteed playoff berths.
Ingram had 26 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, Trey Murphy III scored 21 points and CJ McCollum added 15 for the Pelicans, who came in riding a five-game winning streak.
GRIZZLIES 113, MAGIC 108
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) &mdash; Desmond Bane scored 31 points and made 8 of 10 free throws down the stretch, leading Memphis past Orlando.
Bane&rsquo;s free throws thwarted a last-minute rush by the Magic, led by Franz Wagner, who ended up with 25 points, including nine in the final 1:10.
Xavier Tillman had 20 points for Memphis, while Luke Kennard and Jaren Jackson Jr. finished with 16 points apiece. Jackson added 10 rebounds and three blocks.
Ja Morant, the Grizzlies&rsquo; leading scorer, sat out the first night of a back-to-back with right thigh soreness.
Paolo Banchero finished with 24 points and Wendell Carter Jr. added 14 for the Magic.
HORNETS 137, THUNDER 134
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) &mdash; P.J. Washington scored 22 of his career-high 43 points in the fourth quarter, and Charlotte rallied to beat Oklahoma City for its third straight win.
Three Thunder players scored career highs &mdash; Isaiah Joe with 33 points and Josh Giddey and Jalen Williams with 31 each. But Williams and Giddey each missed one of two free throws in the final 16 seconds, and Williams missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer that would have forced overtime.
It was a potentially costly loss for Oklahoma City. The Thunder were looking to strengthen their position in the Western Conference play-in race despite being short-handed. Oklahoma City guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who entered the day fourth in the league averaging 31.3 points per game, sat out with a sprained left ankle.
Charlotte was short-handed, too. Terry Rozier (right foot discomfort) and Kelly Oubre (strained right shoulder) sat out for the third straight game and Dennis Smith (sprained right toe) also did not play.
RAPTORS 106, HEAT 92
TORONTO (AP) &mdash; Pascal Siakam scored 26 points, Scottie Barnes had 22 points and a career-high 12 assists and Toronto beat Miami.
O.G. Anunoby scored 22 points, and Precious Achiuwa and Fred VanVleet each had 12 as Toronto won for the 10th time in 11 home games.
Tyler Herro scored 33 points and Bam Adebayo had 21 points and 12 rebounds as Miami lost its second straight. The Heat are 15-22 on the road.
Miami played without leading scorer Jimmy Butler, who sat because of a sore neck.
WIZARDS 130, CELTICS 111
WASHINGTON (AP) &mdash; Kristaps Porzingis had 32 points and 13 rebounds, and Washington boosted its flickering postseason hopes with a victory over Boston.
The Wizards, playing without Bradley Beal (left knee soreness) and Kyle Kuzma (right ankle sprain), pulled within 2 1/2 games of Chicago for the final play-in spot in the Eastern Conference. Washington has six games remaining in the regular season.
The Celtics had their three-game winning streak snapped. Jayson Tatum led Boston with 28 points, and Jaylen Brown contributed 18 points.
Deni Avdija matched a career high with 25 points and added 10 rebounds for Washington. Monte Morris scored 19 points.

A recap of Monday's slate of NBA games includes a down-to-the-wire battle in Atlanta.

Hawks beat Cavaliers 120-118, help Bucks clinch Central Division

The Cleveland Cavaliers can finally say they are headed to the NBA Playoffs.
On Sunday evening, the organization officially punched its ticket to the postseason for the first time in five years. As has been said repeatedly, and rightfully so, it&rsquo;s also the first time the Cavs have accomplished such a feat without LeBron James in 25 years.
&ldquo;I think organizationally this is a big deal to come from where we came from and every year continue to take steps in the right direction, in a positive direction. All the hard work that people in this organization have put in to help get us here should be acknowledged,&rdquo; Cleveland head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said, following up with the phrase &ldquo;from the top down.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Before going into his players, he offered praise for Cavs president Koby Altman, general manager Mike Gansey and the front office, then once more for the training staff and strength and conditioning groups. He later thanked Cleveland&rsquo;s chairman Dan Gilbert.
&ldquo;Obviously, our guys have bought into something bigger than themselves. It's unique for a young team to do that at such a rapid pace. Typically, young guys are so worried about figuring out themselves that the team is secondary. We've got a bunch of guys where the team is the primary thing and the only thing. And whatever individual awards, rewards, glory, (it) all comes because of the team's success, and our guys have bought in and committed to that. This is something that has been done as a collective.
&ldquo;And again, we told the guys to enjoy this, but we ain't done yet. And I think that's the mindset we&rsquo;ve got to continue to have. We're still on the road of this process, and we&rsquo;ve got to keep taking it step by step until we get to where we want to be.&rdquo;
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9sXuFjej3Nw" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
For Darius Garland, Isaac Okoro, Lamar Stevens, Dean Wade and Dylan Windler, all of whom have been with the organization for at least three full years (Garland four), it will be their first time tasting the playoff stage. The same goes for Evan Mobley, who&rsquo;s only in his second season.
&ldquo;It means a lot. I mean, [clinching] first playoffs feels good. Excited to play. We still got work to do,&rdquo; Mobley echoed in agreement with Bickerstaff.
It&rsquo;s been two years, two months and one week since Jarrett Allen first put on his wine-and-gold jersey. Plagued by injuries, inconsistencies and inexperience, that 2020-21 version of the team finished with a 22-50 record. So, coming from that, a Play-In Tournament appearance that came up empty last year and seeing where the group is now, it&rsquo;s not surprising that he took some time to smell the roses for one night.
&ldquo;I think we're able to take a moment to celebrate. This is definitely a big thing for the Cavaliers and for all of us. Not everybody has made it to the playoffs, so we're taking a moment in celebration, but [then] it's time to get back to work,&rdquo; Allen said.&nbsp;
"Not everyone gets that shot," Mobley added. "Not everyone gets on teams and have team camaraderie like we do, how we play together, everything. So it feels good. We've just got to keep that going."
Allen made sure to credit Altman and his former teammate Lauri Markkanen for helping establish big ball, which has evolved into just him and his partner Mobley holding down the fort.
&ldquo;The first year I got traded here, it was rough. We didn't have much to play towards the end of the season and then traded for Lauri and then just a lot of things were getting put into place,&rdquo; said Allen, who also shouted out Kevin Love as being another big-man building block.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Koby in the front office did a good job to help motivate us, so that we know we have more to play for. And then, year after or that year went on and didn't end it how we wanted to, saying we left a lot on the table. How many times you heard that? But finally this year, we finally are taking everything off the table.&rdquo;
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4xXhZgYRb2w" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
(Note: It&rsquo;s also hard not to think of Collin Sexton, who was the first Cavs rookie post-LeBron and worked his way to being one of the top young scoring guards in the NBA. Cleveland doesn&rsquo;t have Donovan Mitchell to accelerate the process if not for Sexton, who was a crucial part of that trade with the Utah Jazz.)
Having been there from the true beginning of Cleveland&rsquo;s renaissance in the 2019-20 season, Garland shared the same sentiments.
&ldquo;It was really tough,&rdquo; Garland <a href="https://www.cleveland.com/cavs/2023/03/cavs-have-bigger-goals-in-mind-after-securing-playoff-spot-for-first-time-in-25-years-without-lebron-james-we-aint-done-yet.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told Cleveland.com on Sunday</a>. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m lowkey speechless because I&rsquo;ve been here for the longest and I&rsquo;ve seen it from the mud. It&rsquo;s great to be here now. It&rsquo;s a step in the right direction. But not done yet.&rdquo;
Basketball News asked Allen in particular what it took for the Cavs to grow and get over the hump as a franchise.
&ldquo;Confidence that we can do it. I think that's a big thing in this league. Confidence that you can play with the top teams, confidence that you can beat the teams and make it to the playoffs,&rdquo; Allen said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s bad to say, but I'm going to say it anyway &mdash; there's a lot of teams that don't have the confidence, but every team has very talented guys that can be one of those top players. That's what I believe. Every team has talented players. It's just playing as a team, understanding that you can do it together.&rdquo;
Unlike the rest of his teammates, Mitchell has not missed the playoffs even once in his career. From his rookie campaign until now, with the Jazz and now the Cavs, he&rsquo;ll have appeared in six consecutive postseasons.
&ldquo;You know, you want to appreciate every step along the way. It's definitely a blessing. I don't want to downplay the moment, but in the same token, and I told the guys in there &mdash; this is what you just come to expect,&rdquo; Mitchell said. &ldquo;You made your first one. Appreciate and enjoy it. Celebrate it for the city, for the organization, for your individual guys who have made it.
&ldquo;But in the same token, the three seed&rsquo;s in play &mdash; that's the goal. That's the focus. And we should come to a point now where that's expected of us making the playoffs and continuously being here and continuously pushing forward.&rdquo;
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eG39DPE34YY" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Cleveland currently is seated in the fourth spot in the Eastern Conference with a five-game lead on the New York Knicks, who the team will host on Friday evening. The Cavs have also crept to just one-and-a-half games back of the No. 3 seed Philadelphia 76ers, who all of a sudden have a couple of minor injuries to major players and will have to face competition still fighting for positioning and/or a way into the mix. And even after that is settled, there are higher aspirations.
&ldquo;We got six more games to play. We're not a finished product. And just the question about where we started, we've got bigger places to go and this is a start for us to be able to clinch a playoff spot. But as we think about this and as we put this team together, we all have one end goal, and those end goals don't come and happen overnight,&rdquo; Bickerstaff said. &ldquo;So we've got to continue to get better. We've got to continue to grow. Coaches, players, everybody has to continue, and that's why we say it's, we're not a finished product.&rdquo;
&ldquo;I think we can beat anybody,&rdquo; Garland <a href="https://www.cleveland.com/cavs/2023/03/cavs-have-bigger-goals-in-mind-after-securing-playoff-spot-for-first-time-in-25-years-without-lebron-james-we-aint-done-yet.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told Cleveland.com</a>. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s how good we are. I&rsquo;m ready for a long postseason.&rdquo;
Mitchell is impressed with his younger teammates&rsquo; mindset of wanting more than just being there. He brought up his rookie season in Utah where an underdog Jazz squad rallied from a 17-26 record to unexpectedly earn a playoff berth.
To him, in Cleveland, this was the expectation.
&ldquo;I think the mindset, honestly is just like, &lsquo;Alright, it's just a step.&rsquo; One step to feel like we're not satisfied,&rdquo; Mitchell said. &ldquo;Understanding that we have a bigger goal at stake, not just making the playoffs, not just winning a first round, second round, third round. Making it all the way, it's going to be tough. There's going to be guys teams that have a lot of experience and have been there, but I think we're up for that challenge. We have that hunger. "All that's talked about is our experience. But we have that hunger and you see it with this group, and on a night-to-night basis, continuing to prepare and continue to play all the way until June.&rdquo;

Spencer Davies highlights the Cavaliers' reactions to clinching their first playoff berth in five years (and first without LeBron since '97-98).

Unsatisfied, but grateful: Cavs open up on tough road back to playoffs

Cleveland Cavaliers president Koby Altman is typically one of the NBA's busiest executives when the trade deadline comes around. In fact, since taking over for David Griffin as the Cavs' general manager in July 2017, there hadn&rsquo;t been a single deadline where he stood pat.
On Thursday, that changed, as the Cavaliers decided not to make a trade.
&ldquo;My guys over there, they said, 'Koby I'm proud of you,' for not [making a move],&rdquo; Altman said with a grin at Cleveland Clinic Courts in his first media appearance this season. &ldquo;Because you could make deals. You can. There's things you can land the plane on. Don't just do something to do something. Let's be very, very intentional with what we're doing. It's different when you're in asset collection mode. It's different when you're trying to accumulate picks. That becomes a different motivation. I think where we are now is being very, very intentional [with] how you're going to help this young core grow and set them up for success. And if the move wasn't there to do it, don't do it. I guess we sat this one out.
&ldquo;I think there's value in continuity. I think there's value in giving this group a runway. And sometimes as a GM, you just say to yourself, 'Don't mess this up.' And I think that was a big key for us this deadline. [That's] not easy for me; you guys know I'm volume-heavy. But to take a step back and realize the growth we've seen already, mixed with the results... I didn't see anything that was appreciably gonna make us better and put us over the top. And so, I'm really happy with where we are and where we're going.&rdquo;
We all know the NBA community abides by a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately code, but remember Donovan Mitchell? The 26-year-old first-time All-Star starter who&rsquo;s already stamped his name in the Cavs history books and helped lead Cleveland to a torrid start? One of the best shooting guards in the league who&rsquo;s already won two Player of the Week awards and has brought 39 games worth of playoff experience with him to the team? The dude who <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-breaking-news-donovan-mitchell-scores-nbaseasonhigh-cavs-franchisebest-71-in-win" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dropped 71 freaking points in one night</a>?
Lest we forget that Altman already launched his full-court heave on the first day of September, prior to the frenzy that was this past week.
&ldquo;I'm really glad we did what we did in the summer, to bring in a Donovan Mitchell, because it's so competitive &mdash; hyper-competitive in the trade market, hyper-competitive in the standings. And so, that was our big move to really lift our ceiling,&rdquo; Altman said. &ldquo;I knew that we weren't going to top that move come trade deadline (laughs). I think it's been a seamless fit. I think it's been some really exciting basketball... I think we had a great future without Donovan, and I can't imagine not having him right now.
&ldquo;We don't need to take swings. We don't need to take these &lsquo;find this incredible talent that you have to build around&rsquo; (approaches). I think we've found that, which is the hardest part. And now, does it work within the group and does it make the team better?&rdquo;
Altman&rsquo;s reasoning behind this approach is logical in short-term and long-term lenses. First and foremost, he brought up the delicate nature of a rare, connected locker room. That&rsquo;s why, though he&rsquo;ll leave open the idea of scouring the buyout market with an open roster spot available, everything will be about fit and skill set when it comes to any addition.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
The Cavs are in a position that they haven&rsquo;t been in during his tenure. They boast the fifth-best record in the NBA while employing the second-youngest starting five (average age of 23.2 years old) in the league, and a majority of that core still has yet to experience postseason basketball.
&ldquo;There's no trade I could've accomplished that was going to account for Darius Garland playing in his first playoff series, Evan Mobley playing in his first playoff series, Isaac Okoro playing in his first playoff series. We have to go through that as a team,&rdquo; Altman said. &ldquo;We're gonna have to go down the stretch here and battle for our position. We're gonna have to go in, hopefully, knock on wood, to a playoff series and see what that feels like, and I'm excited about that.&nbsp;
&ldquo;And that's the growth, that's the maturation that I wanna see from this group down the stretch, and really take a step back and let them experience this kinda basketball that's very, very new for us, and give them the runway to achieve, have setbacks and grow from those experiences. But it's a really, really exciting place to be... Give this group what they deserve [with] what they've already accomplished.&rdquo;
Given his expiring contract situation, there were a lot of questions surrounding Caris LeVert, a hot name on the trade front. Multiple teams inquired about his status with the Cavs and what it&rsquo;d take for the franchise to part ways with him. Altman instead revealed that &ldquo;there&rsquo;s a lot of interest to keep him here,&rdquo; and explained his rationale behind sticking with LeVert.
&ldquo;We acquired Caris last year in vastly different circumstances. If you remember, we had Darius Garland and no other ball-handlers; Ricky [Rubio] was out for the year, we had lost Collin [Sexton] for the year. And so, we brought Caris in under vastly different pretenses. I think what he's done this year is try to adapt his game to two ball-dominant, all-world guards," Altman said. "He's gotten better at his spot-up shooting; he's at a career-high this year at 37% in terms of shooting, and that's not even his real piece. He's just a really good basketball player, and I think he's embraced the challenge of being a defensive stopper.
&ldquo;The thing that really speaks to me too is, and I'm a softy for this, but guys that really want to be here. Guys that show up every day to work, that have a great attitude, that whatever their role is &mdash; and he had to take a substantial step back, be a sixth-man type when he could be starting in the NBA on a lot of different teams &mdash; and being like, 'I want to make this work. I want to be here.' That's meaningful to me, that's meaningful to this organization and it's a big reason why he's here. The other thing too is, let's be honest, we're not playing guys 82 games a year anymore. And to be able to spot start Caris at times is an absolute luxury. We learned that last year we can't have enough ball-handlers. We'll see in the playoffs. I know it's been a few years now, [but] to break your man off the dribble when everything else breaks down and your set play is not working, you're gonna need guys to go get some stuff for you and manufacture some runs. He remains a very important part of what we're doing. He's just a really good basketball player. I know he's thrilled to still be here, and we're happy that he's here as well.&rdquo;
As per usual, Kevin Love&rsquo;s name surfaced in rumblings for another year. This time around, it made sense because he&rsquo;s recorded five straight DNP-CDs and missed action in the three previous games due to a bothersome thumb injury. Cavs head coach J.B. Bickerstaff stated Wednesday night that the veteran big man is healthy and available, but wants to see what this new, healthy iteration of the team can do.&nbsp;
Asked about Love, Altman responded by saying that he&rsquo;s never had conversations with him or his representation about a buyout and doesn&rsquo;t anticipate it happening. He did however share that he and the 35-year-old have talked about making a sacrifice and staying ready when his chance to play comes again. Altman feels he&rsquo;ll have that opportunity at some point this season.
After striking a rhythm over the last week, Altman is pleased with what he&rsquo;s seen from this current Cavs rotation that&rsquo;s added some bodies off the injured list. Ricky Rubio &mdash; whom he considers midseason acquisition-like &mdash; came back in the fold less than a month ago and is rounding into form with the bench bunch, and Dean Wade has been getting his legs back under him since returning on Jan. 21, providing meaningful spacing and defensive chops.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Are the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cavs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cavs</a> finding stability? J.B. Bickerstaff, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen and Dean Wade weigh in (with hand signals and all 🎢). <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@basketbllnews</a> <a href="https://t.co/oTD1TBWkyl">pic.twitter.com/oTD1TBWkyl</a>
&mdash; Spencer Davies (@SpinDavies) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpinDavies/status/1623719182910070786?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 9, 2023</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

When the franchise pulled the trigger on the Mitchell blockbuster, it created a significant void left by now-Utah-Jazz-All-Star forward Lauri Markkanen. For much of the season, the wing has been anything but consistent and a point of contention around town. A whopping 18 different starting lineups is an obvious indication of that, which has included starts at small forward from LeVert, Okoro, Wade and Lamar Stevens. (That&rsquo;s due to injury and mixing and matching.)
However, to Altman&rsquo;s point of internal additions, Cleveland has seen a fresh version of Okoro emerge since the turn of the new year. From Jan. 4 and on &mdash; when &ldquo;Ice&rdquo; reentered the starting five &mdash; the burly third-year swingman over 19 games has averaged 9.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.8 rebounds and 1.1 steals per contest on 58.5% from the field, including a scorching 49.0% clip beyond the arc.&nbsp;
Coupling his already-stout defense with the threat of knocking down triples in the corner &mdash; and playmaking for teammates off the catch when closed out on &mdash; has helped Okoro earn the Cavs&rsquo; trust.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m so happy for Isaac, who puts the most work in that now he deserves that sorta 3-and-D position that we drafted him as, that can guard 1-through-4, that really puts pressure on the defense,&rdquo; Altman said. &ldquo;I think what you're seeing from us and from Isaac specifically is a dude that, right away, you feel that defense as soon as you get across half-court, or you want to take a shooter out and he's making you catch 40 feet out. That sets the tone for your defense, and he does that remarkably well. And now, he's hitting the three-ball and giving space to our guards, which we really need.&rdquo;
It also played a factor in Altman avoiding a potential disruption in Okoro&rsquo;s rhythm.
&ldquo;Obviously, everybody wants more shooting. It's something I looked at. But I also know... where are those minutes gonna go to?&rdquo; Altman argued. &ldquo;And that starting five, which has been really good with Isaac Okoro, who are you taking off the floor there when that group as a starting five is a plus-7.3 net rating with a substantial size now? Who are you taking off the floor there, right?
&ldquo;Between him, Dean, Cedi [Osman], we always wanted to hopefully have that be internal and not use more assets to go outside and hope it works. That's the other part too is, at the deadline, you're making these deals and hoping that it fits. You're ingratiating a new person into this system, everybody has to adapt around this person, you have to change the way you play a little bit to accentuate their positives. Keeping the continuity and letting the internal growth happen, I think, was a big part of (standing pat). And seeing those signs certainly gave us pause to... Isaac's only 22 years old, and he's getting better every single day. Let's let that play out.&rdquo;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Flexibility is still present in Cleveland&rsquo;s books despite being over the salary cap. Altman noted how Mobley still being on his rookie-scale deal will allow the Cavs to re-sign LeVert and Love and use their mid-level exception if they choose. There are also second-round picks at their disposal, and if Thursday taught us anything, it&rsquo;s that they can be quite valuable.
Mitchell and Garland are meshing well with one another as the games pass, Mobley and Jarrett Allen have not shown signs of slowing down and Okoro is coming into his own. Rubio, LeVert, Wade and Osman have had their moments individually and are looking to put it all together to bolster the bench production. As long as the team can stay away from the injury bug, with a softer schedule in the second half of the season, there&rsquo;s no reason to expect any kind of decline. &nbsp; The overlying theme of the Cavs' strategy at this point? If it ain&rsquo;t broke, don&rsquo;t fix it.

Spencer Davies summarizes Cavaliers president Koby Altman's first press conference of the season after a quiet trade deadline.

Koby Altman counting on Cavaliers' continuity, growth from within

Nekias Duncan thoroughly breaks down all five teams in the Central Division ahead of the 2022-23 season.

2022-23 NBA Season Preview: Central Division

With one bold, unexpected move, the Cleveland Cavaliers raised their profile in the Eastern Conference considerably.
They're back in the title hunt.
The Cavs made official Saturday their acquisition of three-time All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell in a trade with Utah, and can start figuring out ways to best integrate his talents into their young core.
Considered outsiders to land the dynamic player for much of this offseason, the Cavs swooped in and put together a package that the Jazz, which had offers from several other teams, couldn't resist.
Cleveland sent guard Collin Sexton, forward Lauri Markkanen and rookie guard Ochai Agbaji to Utah along with unprotected first-round draft picks in 2025, 2027 and 2029. The teams will also swap their first-round drafting rights in 2026 and 2028.
Sexton, who was a restricted free agent, signed a four-year, $72 million deal as part of the package, his agent Rich Paul of Klutch Sports told the Associated Press on Thursday.
In adding Mitchell, the Cavs have, at the very least, entered the conversation to contend in the overloaded East, where Boston, Brooklyn, Miami, Milwaukee and Philadelphia are all considered championship-worthy.
&ldquo;The acquisition of Donovan Mitchell presented us with an incredible opportunity to bring one of the NBA&rsquo;s most dynamic young All-Stars to Cleveland,&rdquo; said Koby Altman, the Cavaliers' president of basketball operations. "Already a special and proven talent at just 25-years-old, Donovan brings a competitive mentality that organically fits with the core group of this team.
&ldquo;We are excited to see the impact that someone of Donovan&rsquo;s caliber can bring to the Cavaliers with his ability to score the basketball, but also make plays for his teammates.&rdquo;
For Utah, the massive roster teardown continues. The Mitchell trade is the second major one this summer. Utah also dealt All-Star center and defensive force Rudy Gobert to Minnesota in July for a slew of draft picks.
It wasn't long ago that the Mitchell-Gobert tandem made the Jazz a team to fear in the Western Conference. Now, Utah is starting over with a new coach and at least 13 first-round picks over the next seven years.
In Cleveland, which had a 22-win team two years ago, the rebuild is complete for a franchise that got accustomed to winning when LeBron James was around. Mitchell may have been the missing piece.
The 25-year-old gives Cleveland the type of megastar it takes to win it all. A fearless driver, explosive scorer and creator, Mitchell is a give-me-the-ball-in-crunch-time player who raises his game and his teammates' game.
He also could be the elder statesman in a projected starting lineup with All-Star point guard Darius Garland (22 years old), All-Star center Jarrett Allen (24), forward Evan Mobley (21) and Isaac Okoro (21).
While the Cavs improved their win total by 22 games last season and qualified for the play-in game, their major deficiency was not having someone who could get consistently score and a stagnating offense.
The Cavs tried to address the situation by trading for small forward Caris LeVert at the deadline in February. However, he was slowed by injury and struggled to fit in to coach J.B. Bickerstaff's system.
Mitchell has averaged 23.9 points in his five pro seasons and will play alongside Garland, who improved across the board in his third year. It's a smaller backcourt &mdash; both Mitchell and Garland are listed at 6-foot-1 &mdash; so there could be some defensive issues, but with Allen and Mobley on patrol, the Cavs do have proven rim protection.
Cleveland hasn't made the playoffs since James left for a second time in 2018, ending the Cavs' four-year run to the Finals. They've been patient in putting things in place to take another shot at a title.
Mitchell gets them closer to one.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

The Cavs made official their acquisition of three-time All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell in a trade with Utah over the weekend.

Cavaliers jump into East title hunt with Donovan Mitchell acquisition

Is the NBA ready to add an expansion team? Evan Sidery explores what kind of team you could build in a present-day expansion draft.

NBA Expansion Mock Draft: What would a new expansion team look like?

As the Cleveland Cavaliers prepare to make their NBA Summer League debut in Las Vegas, all eyes in Northeast Ohio will be squarely on Ochai Agbaji, the No. 14 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, who ultimately became a bonus selection when the wine and gold fell just one victory short of making the playoffs.
Starting Friday afternoon, Agbaji will get the lion&rsquo;s share of shots, have the ball in his hands and go a little out of his comfort zone by being utilized as a playmaker &mdash; similar to what Cleveland asked of Isaac Okoro at this time last year. Knowing Agbaji&rsquo;s strengths after a <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/cleveland-cavaliers-prepared-to-throw-ochai-agbaji-in-the-fire-with-presentday-focus-jb-bickerstaff-koby-altman-darius-garland-isaac-okoro" target="_blank" rel="noopener">year-by-year ascension at Kansas</a>, the organization is set on developing other areas of his game at Summer League and entering training camp.
In fact, a Cavaliers team source told Basketball News that the plan is to bring Agbaji along slowly at the beginning of the season. And with the guard room filled to the brim, it&rsquo;ll be difficult for the rookie swingman to crack the rotation right away.
&ldquo;There's really no expectations on him," the Cavs source said. "He doesn't have to play or have to contribute right away."
There will be some real battles for minutes come training camp, especially in the backcourt. Not only does Cleveland have Darius Garland, Caris LeVert, Okoro and Agbaji, the Cavs also added Raul Neto and brought back Ricky Rubio.
To top things off, the team source is quite confident that Collin Sexton will be back with Cleveland since free-agency money is drying up. Either the two sides will reach an agreement or "at worst," Sexton will sign for the qualifying offer (worth $7.2 million).
If you&rsquo;re keeping count, that&rsquo;s seven players who will be duking it out for floor time between two positions, most notably at the 2. The team source suggested that J.B. Bickerstaff could regularly play 10 guys this season. On a team that&rsquo;s still seemingly missing a &ldquo;true&rdquo; small forward who can score on both ends of the floor, it seems like overkill. Yet, as the Cavs found out the hard way last season, depth is absolutely necessary to stay above water.
Despite their success with him sidelined, Sexton&rsquo;s absence was painfully felt as the season progressed. The obvious way was as a scorer who &ldquo;can get 15-to-20 in his sleep.&rdquo; From another perspective, it was about how he got those points &mdash; getting into the paint, breaking down the defense and knocking down those 9-1-1 types of shots &mdash; that really could&rsquo;ve saved an offense that ran out of gas.&nbsp;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
&ldquo;Collin's built for big moments. He's not afraid at all, and I just think he would've made some kind of impact,&rdquo; the Cavs source said. &ldquo;I think he would've helped us more than hurt us. Everyone wants to say the success was because he's not here, which I think is completely false. Say what he can't do, but what can he do?
&ldquo;I just think it was a tough year for him because all he cares about is hoop. That's literally 24/7, 365. I think it was really, really hard for him. But he's even more motivated because he was out and he saw the success. He's rippin' and roarin'. I've seen some of the videos of him working out and stuff; I think he's gonna be back and be better than ever this season.&rdquo;
While Sexton&rsquo;s knee injury was the first blow, Rubio tearing his ACL in New Orleans before the turn of the new year rattled everybody in the franchise.
&ldquo;It just really hurt Cedi [Osman] and really hurt Kevin [Love] 'cause that second unit was rollin',&rdquo; the team source said. "And Kevin and Cedi, Ricky just put them in spots. They didn't have to do anything. They just had to finish. But Ricky set 'em up perfectly. That was the beginning of it. It was a big blow. I just think if we have Ricky healthy all year, we're probably a four or five seed.&rdquo;
(Subsequently, the team source said that Jarrett Allen&rsquo;s broken thumb &ldquo;just killed us.&rdquo;)
Even with Rubio returning, the team source told Basketball News that his recovery timeline for the 2022-23 campaign is &ldquo;unknown,&rdquo; so the experienced Neto should be able to fill that void until Rubio is cleared for action. And considering that Cleveland&rsquo;s options last season were two-way guard Brandon Goodwin and first-year-NBAer Kevin Pangos before attempting to patch up the roster wound with Rajon Rondo and LeVert, Neto should be able to get the job done.
Because they had such a good thing going in the short- and long-term last season, the Cavs did not want to mess with team chemistry too much. The organization viewed last year's LeVert trade as a pure addition that wouldn't affect the building&rsquo;s energy. He&rsquo;d take on some of the playmaking duties and the scoring responsibility with no Rubio (who was hurt and sent to Indiana as part of the deal) or Sexton (who was still rehabbing).
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/usatsi_18029628.jpg" alt="" width="635" height="423" />
Off the floor, it worked out just fine, as LeVert fit right in with Cleveland&rsquo;s culture.&nbsp;
On the floor, it was a mixed bag.
&ldquo;He comes, he plays what, four games? He has that huge game in Indiana, then we go on the break and then he's out for a month. And then he comes back and he wasn't himself,&rdquo; said the team source.
LeVert even told the organization that he couldn&rsquo;t get his legs under him after initially spraining his foot. LeVert also admitted to bringing some of his bad habits from Indiana to Cleveland.
&ldquo;Obviously we saw the kid, the character, the work ethic, but he just wasn't on the floor, especially with most of our main guys. We were trying to figure him out, he was trying to figure us out. There just wasn't enough time,&rdquo; the team source said. &ldquo;Maybe if he's healthy that whole second half, I think it would've been better, but it was just hard for everyone involved just because he was learning on the fly. I think we had, like, two real practices after we traded for him. So, there was no time to really jell with the guys. He just kinda had to do it on the fly in games.&rdquo;
When asked to evaluate LeVert&rsquo;s half-season stretch with Cleveland, the team source described it as &ldquo;incomplete.&rdquo;
&ldquo;I think he's gonna have a good year because he'll have had a whole summer, he's been with our guys, he's been back and forth here,&rdquo; the Cavs source said. &ldquo;We're gonna have a full training camp, and I know Coach [Bickerstaff] is saying we've learned a lot about him and where we can put him in different spots.&rdquo;
The sole reason the Cavs stacked the guard room was to take just a semblance of the burden off Garland. Carrying the playmaking load &mdash; putting the team on his shoulders from January and on &mdash; resulted in him hurting his back. But unlike his first two injury-riddled NBA seasons, Garland showcased his durability and fought through the nagging pain to will Cleveland to a spot in the Play-In Tournament.&nbsp;
For the first time in his career, Garland was an All-Star, finished as a top-20 scorer and ranked sixth in assists among his NBA peers. Last Saturday, the Cavs rewarded Garland with a five-year, $191 million rookie-maximum extension that could reach up to $231 million in earnings.
&ldquo;What he did this year was pretty incredible, the growth he's made, and I think he's still only gonna get better and hopefully take a couple more steps,&rdquo; the team source said of Garland. &ldquo;We've been looking for kind of an All-Star, a franchise pillar since LeBron left. He wants to be here. Everyone loves playing with him. He embraces the city. There's just too many boxes to check there. I think he's only gonna get better and trying to get healthy, and just get better players around him so he doesn't have to do so much. He's still only 22 years old. I think the future's bright with him, and we're excited to have him.&rdquo;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Continuing to get stronger will be a priority for Garland, as will the team&rsquo;s desire to &ldquo;unleash him off the ball.&rdquo; We saw glimpses of that with the Rubio-Garland duo prior to the veteran&rsquo;s untimely setback. After that, Garland was the table-setter, had the ball in his hands and served as the primary scorer. By having even a possession off here or there, Cleveland could preserve Garland&rsquo;s wind, allowing him to run off screens to shoot or simply stand in the corner to spot up for a triple.
Finding ways to employ Garland&rsquo;s off-ball skills will be one piece to the puzzle. Another is figuring out how to make Evan Mobley more selfish on the offensive end, per the team source. He&rsquo;s always going to make the right play because of his natural instincts, but that doesn&rsquo;t mean he shouldn&rsquo;t be aggressive.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I think it's just in between his ears,&rdquo; the Cavs source said. &ldquo;It's just a mentality. &lsquo;I know I can score 25.&rsquo; Getting him more aggressive, his mentality changing. When he catches it, [we want him thinking], &lsquo;Hey, I can get 25 tonight and no one can stop me.' I'm excited for him. I think he's gonna have a&nbsp;big jump 'cause he was playing that whole rookie year in quicksand. He's so smart and he's so skilled and he works. I'm really, really excited to see what he's gonna look like come October.&rdquo;
Mobley can put the ball in the basket, as we&rsquo;ve already seen. Fine-tuning his jump shot will be a point of emphasis, as will sharpening his handle and adding some muscle to withstand the physical element of the NBA game. In addition, the Cavs want Mobley to shoot more threes to ultimately help space the floor since that's been an issue when Allen and Okoro are on the floor with him.
That spacing agenda goes for everybody. Lauri Markkanen was able to shoot it at a decent clip when he was healthy, as was Love and the recently re-signed Dean Wade. Okoro had his moments, but then he experienced a shooting slump as soon as April hit. Lamar Stevens got better at the three-ball, but it&rsquo;s not nearly enough to make defenses close-out.&nbsp;
Osman got off to a terrific start in that department, but tailed off. Sparingly used Dylan Windler wasn&rsquo;t able to establish any sort of jumper in his 50 games. With those two specifically, it&rsquo;ll be interesting to see who Cleveland parts with if/when Sexton re-enters the fold, because the roster will be one man over the limit.&nbsp;
It sounds like Windler&rsquo;s chances to stay afloat are worse than Osman&rsquo;s due to his lack of shot-making, and Cedi having his share of high moments. As for how Cleveland&rsquo;s front office will execute the crunch, there could be opportunities to consolidate via a trade later this offseason.&nbsp;
&ldquo;We have a whole summer to figure it out,&rdquo; the team source said.
(Had the Cavs found someone they wanted to use their mid-level exception on, the front office would&rsquo;ve considered moving Osman or Windler to Indiana in a sign-and-trade for Rubio. However, the talent pool dried up quickly and Cleveland just decided to sign the veteran point guard outright.)
With Summer League action off and running, the Cavs are set to open their schedule in Las Vegas on Friday. It&rsquo;s the first of many steps toward not only getting back to where they were, but surpassing that and becoming a consistent playoff presence.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
&ldquo;I think the big thing for our group is we were so close. I think we're motivated, we're hungry,&rdquo; the team source said. &ldquo;But when people come into Cleveland, it's not, 'Alright, we got the same old Cavs. We can kinda just dilly dally for three-and-a-half quarters and then we'll just win at the end.' No. We're gonna have a target on our back, and how do these guys respond? How are they gonna react when teams are coming in here giving their best effort where that wasn't the case the last three, four years?&rdquo;
The Eastern Conference is improving and Cleveland won&rsquo;t be sneaking up on anybody anymore, so it&rsquo;ll be on this young group to withstand the storm headed its way and come out with more passion and fire than ever before.

Spencer Davies speaks with a Cleveland Cavaliers source about their offseason moves and what's next for the young team.

After exceeding expectations, Cavaliers expect a target on their back

Over the past four seasons, the Cleveland Cavaliers have gone for the long play in the NBA Draft.
Koby Altman hasn&rsquo;t been afraid to take the proverbial big swing at the plate since he&rsquo;s been in charge of the front office, selecting a one-and-done freshman in each of the four years the wine and gold possessed a draft pick &mdash; Collin Sexton, Darius Garland (and Kevin Porter Jr.), Isaac Okoro and Evan Mobley. That was as Cleveland&rsquo;s general manager.
On Thursday night, in Altman&rsquo;s first draft as team president along with recently promoted general manager Mike Gansey, recently promoted assistant Brandon Weems, Brendon Yu and Co., the organization shifted its philosophy. With the No. 14 overall slot in the field, the Cavs got their guy in Kansas senior Ochai Agbaji to further accelerate their ascension.
&ldquo;To keep (the pick) actually brought a lot of energy to our scouting department. &lsquo;Let&rsquo;s go after it and see who we can bring in.&rsquo; Definitely different than the last three or four years in terms of what we&rsquo;re looking for,&rdquo; Altman said. &ldquo;This was more about who can come in and really help us and help this team achieve. A different process in terms of trying to find the most upside swing talent versus who can be the best fit. It was certainly a luxury to have that draft pick this year, and I guess that is a silver lining of just missing the playoffs&hellip;
&ldquo;...We really like his makeup, and he's solid. He knows he's gotta defend and make shots to make it in the league, and I think he brings that right away. Just excellent fit and super accomplished. You talk about a national champion and brings a skill set that we don&rsquo;t necessarily have to the table. We did a lot of due diligence, we had a lot of guys come in and we liked a lot of players at this pick. But where we were standing and with him on the board, we were super excited to bring Ochai in. That skill set is going to be utilized, we hope, right away.&rdquo;
Think about the most important phrase: Right away. The Cavs, who at this point last summer were hoping to nail another franchise cornerstone piece (and it appears they have successfully done so with Evan Mobley), feel like they are ready to surround those pillars with a ready-to-go prospect in Agbaji after coming up one win short of making the 2022 playoffs.
&ldquo;It means a lot, coming from Coach J.B. [Bickerstaff] and the whole staff and obviously what they think about me, and why they brought me here to this organization means a lot. I&rsquo;m just ready to start working and start working for Coach J.B. and the city,&rdquo; Agbaji said in his introductory press conference from Cleveland Clinic Courts on Friday afternoon.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
The 22-year-old is set to join a Cavs roster with teammates who are younger than him, yet have more NBA experience. At the same time, Agbaji boasts a list of accolades and high-stakes collegiate encounters, most notably in his final season with the NCAA Champion Jayhawks this past April.
&ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s great for where we are now. We&rsquo;re trying to win basketball games,&rdquo; Altman said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a part of his makeup and he&rsquo;s coming to a team that wants to win. He&rsquo;s going to bring some unique ingredients to that. You&rsquo;re seeing national champions kind of sprinkled in these Conference Finals most recently. They definitely bring a chip with them. We hope he brings that to us.&rdquo;
Bickerstaff is thrilled that Cleveland was able to add Agbaji to the mix.
&ldquo;I thought he could be a weapon. He&rsquo;s got a skill that no matter where you are in the NBA, you need it,&rdquo; Bickerstaff explained. &ldquo;He has the ability to put the ball in the basket and it&rsquo;s not just the ability to stand in a spot and make a shot. When we watched him play, it was his ability to move and catch and shoot off of screens, off of handoffs, where he knew how to make himself difficult to guard.
&ldquo;And you know at this level, shot-makers are a premium &mdash; not only as a young player, as a role player, as a star; his responsibility is to help his teammates. Obviously, with the steps that Darius [Garland] took, Jarrett [Allen] took, those guys are going to need help to keep eyes off of them. That was one of the things we saw was a lot of people just would stare that pick-and-roll down. Now, when you throw in another weapon that can create shots like that off the move and makes defenses shift, now that frees up those guys as well. So he&rsquo;s a great fit as a complement to those guys. And then our expectations are for him to grow into that role as well.&rdquo;
Hearing that Bickerstaff is prepared to find a spot for him off the rip excites Agbaji, who is admittedly anxious to get to work with his new teammates, as Garland and Okoro have already reached out to the soon-to-be rookie. Coming into a new situation, Agbaji plans on being a sponge, soaking in all the advice from both the veterans and the younger talent.
Altman referred to Agbaji as a &ldquo;late bloomer&rdquo; who is &ldquo;self-made,&rdquo; no pun intended for who Ochai was coached by in Lawrence. (Altman repeatedly gave credit to Bill Self for the job he did in helping further Ochai&rsquo;s development though.) That assessment certainly checks out.
In four years with the Jayhawks, it wasn&rsquo;t until his junior and senior seasons that Agbaji blossomed into an NBA lottery pick. He stuck to the script and stayed for every season he was eligible to grind away at his craft, and in the final go-round, the work showed.&nbsp;
The 6-foot-5, 210-pound upperclassmen averaged 18.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists on a career-best 59.5% True Shooting percentage. He cashed in on 40.7% of his triples to boot (and on a high volume of nearly seven perimeter attempts per contest).
&ldquo;My mindset going back into my senior year was different than the past three years. What I've learned in that pre-draft process (where he tested the waters) was, I had a whole level of my work ethic that I could take it to a different level and what if I apply that to my senior season?&rdquo; Agbaji said. &ldquo;And that's what I did, mentally, physically putting more effort into my mind, my body, all that stuff, and just seeing where the cards play out.
&ldquo;You learn a lot. You go through ups and downs and in those four years, I went through a lot of ups and downs. Not everything&rsquo;s going to be perfect, you&rsquo;re going to have off days, but your off days, you want them to be better than some other people&rsquo;s off days in a way. You go through ups and downs and you learn those experiences. In those four years, that&rsquo;s what it&rsquo;s taught me.&rdquo;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Day one as a Cav ✔️<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CavsDraft?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CavsDraft</a> <a href="https://t.co/YvTxBehxCa">pic.twitter.com/YvTxBehxCa</a>
&mdash; Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) <a href="https://twitter.com/cavs/status/1540421653137707009?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 24, 2022</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

Altman and Bickerstaff believe that, while he&rsquo;s a plug-and-play type of player, there should be no his-development-is-over talk when it comes to the more seasoned Agbaji.
&ldquo;I mean, you have four years of data. You've seen him get better each year,&rdquo; Altman said. &ldquo;Now, I will say I don't want to put a ceiling on him because he has at every pass from high school to his senior year of high school, being under-recruited, goes to Kansas, they redshirt him his freshman year, they lift the red shirt because he's doing so well in practice because he can compete and play. Grows his way to becoming first team All-American, Big 12 Player of the Year, a number of accolades that he grew towards.
&ldquo;So does he figure out the NBA and have some upside? I think he does. But I think immediately we know what he's going to be able to do. He's going to defend, he's gonna compete, and I know JB wants to run him off a lot of stuff and get him some shots. So certainly more of a finished product than what we've drafted in the past.&rdquo;
Self vehemently called such an assumption "a bunch of crap," and less hostily, Agbaji echoes that sentiment.
&ldquo;That&rsquo;s just more motivation to get better,&rdquo; Agbaji said. &ldquo;I think as my progression, my years have gone by, I feel like I&rsquo;m only getting better. That last summer, what I learned, applying that to my career moving forward is even more motivating to me.&rdquo;
As the league continues its shift into positionless basketball, there are many wondering how Agbaji figures into a guard room occupied by Garland, Okoro, Caris LeVert and possibly Sexton (a restricted free agent), if he is brought back into the fold.&nbsp;
Bickerstaff insists that the Cavs will find a way to put him on the floor, and that the work will start before training camp in September as it did last season before a terrific ensuing campaign. Cleveland&rsquo;s coaching staff does not like putting players in a box, as we saw with their jumbo lineups featuring Lauri Markkanen, Mobley and Allen among other unorthodox combinations.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
And while Altman concedes that Agbaji is probably more of a 2-guard, the Kansas star possesses a completely different tool kit than the rest of the bunch.
&ldquo;There's a need for that shooting piece. And not just standstill shooting, but really guys that can sprint off pindowns, and even if they're not getting the ball, you have to account for their movement away from the ball,&rdquo; Altman said. &ldquo;He does several different actions that create meaningful offense. We got a little bogged down last year, a little stagnant at times. And so maybe he can sort of turn it up and make us harder to guard right away... He can really shoot. He&rsquo;s got a really quick trigger. You can run him off screens...
&ldquo;The fact he can play wing, the fact he can guard wing is great. I don&rsquo;t know if that went into it so much as the need for shooting. I don&rsquo;t want to put him on a pedestal and say, &lsquo;This is the next great wing that we draft,&rsquo; but maybe it is. I do know that he fits a need right away and he&rsquo;s going to compete, and he has that winning pedigree that we really like.&rdquo;
(In a related note, Altman and the Cavs are hoping to get Sexton back for his cultural importance, stating that the Agbaji addition &ldquo;is not a duplicate.&rdquo;)
This morning, Agbaji woke up as a Cavalier, and he felt the love from the city when he landed in Cleveland on Friday morning. Going into draft night, he was already feeling blessed: a national champion, waiting to realize his dream of playing in the NBA. Then, a team came calling and proved they believed in him.
To Agbaji, this is where he is supposed to be.&nbsp;
&ldquo;From the moment I got here, from my workout &mdash; I just felt that home feeling,&rdquo; Agbaji said. &ldquo;Coach JB and Koby and Mike, they gave me that home feeling the first second I walked in here. So I mean, that's why I said I felt right at home here. I was here just like a week-and-a-half ago but it actually really does feel like home, so I'm glad to be here.&rdquo;
As we know, this lengthy, rangy Cavs defense creates a lot of turnovers. Agbaji is a tremendous pick-and-roll defender against ball-handlers (teams scored just 0.43 points per possession in such situations, per InStat), and can &ldquo;shoot the gap&rdquo; well with his 6-10 wingspan, according to Altman.
But in turn, a terrific transition player in his own right, Agbaji is poised to throw it down in the open floor as a result of those giveaways.
Is he already thinking of that moment at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse? You bet.
&ldquo;I'm really excited. I'm really excited for the first dunk at home and for the fans to go crazy,&rdquo; Agbaji said.
&ldquo;I'm old, we'll just take the two points,&rdquo; Bickerstaff said with a laugh.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Looking to go to the hottest concerts, sports, theater &amp; family shows near you? Get 100% guaranteed tickets to more than 125,000 live events from TicketSmarter, the official ticket marketplace of BasketballNews.com. <a href="https://www.ticketsmarter.com/?utm_source=basketballnewscom&amp;utm_medium=tsaff&amp;utm_campaign=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Order online now</a>!

Spencer Davies recaps the Cavs picking Ochai Agbaji in the 2022 NBA Draft and why it shows they're in a different stage as a team.

Cavs prepared to throw Ochai Agbaji in the fire with present-day focus

The NBA sent four teams home from its Play-In Tournament after Friday night, but all four are poised to contend next season.
Though the Charlotte Hornets, Cleveland Cavaliers and San Antonio Spurs exited early, their trio of All-Star guards and exciting young cores mean all three should be back in the hunt &mdash; provided they beef up their rosters in the offseason. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Clippers weren't supposed to make it this far without their franchise cornerstones; that only creates more buzz surrounding a 2022-23 championship contender.
What can these franchises do this offseason to set themselves up for success? I've written up some summer plans for all four squads, including draft assets (via Tankathon), potential free agents (via Spotrac) and a central team-building question (via my deranged mind). If you missed last week, I did the same for the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/summer-plans-for-the-nbas-nonplayoff-teams" target="_blank" rel="noopener">10 teams who did not crack the NBA postseason</a>.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Let's dive in.
CHARLOTTE HORNETS
Draft assets:&nbsp;First-round pick, First-round pick via Pelicans, Second-round pick, Second-round pick via Toronto (if 55-60)
Potential free agents:&nbsp;Montrezl Harrell, Isaiah Thomas, Miles Bridges (restricted), Cody Martin (restricted), Arnoldas Kulboka (restricted), Scottie Lewis (restricted)
Central question:&nbsp;How can the Hornets construct an interior defense?
Charlotte's bottom-10 defense doomed the franchise several times in the regular season and, ultimately, in the Play-In loss to Atlanta. The Hornets gave up boatloads of at-rim attempts and three-pointers, and simply looked like turnstiles at times. Improvement is necessary across the board, but an on-paper view highlights a clear need for upgrades inside.
Mason Plumlee is a fine basketball player, but he's not anchoring a high-level NBA defense. Neither is Montrezl Harrell, and 2021 first-round pick Kai Jones barely touched the floor in Charlotte. The Hornets don't have a whole lot of salary flexibility with big-money deals in place for Gordon Hayward and Terry Rozier. Miles Bridges' restricted free agency is also a key offseason focal point.&nbsp;
Though the Hornets likely can't throw outright money at a Deandre Ayton-level restricted free agent, perhaps they could work a sign-and-trade for a lesser-known young talent. Maybe Mo Bamba fits the bill from Orlando? Charlotte was tied to trade rumors surrounding Myles Turner before the trade deadline, and the front office could also elect to sign a veteran at a mid-level exception.
Regardless of the pathway, the Hornets have needed to address the center position for years now. With a playoff leap now the expectation in 2022-23, they can't afford to let another summer slip away.
CLEVELAND CAVALIERS
Draft assets:&nbsp;First-round pick, Second-round pick via Spurs, Second-round pick via Heat
Potential free agents:&nbsp;Ed Davis, Rajon Rondo, Brandon Goodwin, Collin Sexton (restricted), Moses Brown (restricted), RJ Nembhard (restricted), Dean Wade (team option)
Central question:&nbsp;What is Collin Sexton's future in Cleveland?
The Cavaliers may have slid out of the playoffs, but this was a banner year for the franchise's long-term trajectory. Darius Garland emerged as a cornerstone point guard, Evan Mobley might win Rookie of the Year, and the frontcourt pairing with Jarrett Allen looks to be a mainstay in the Eastern Conference. Injuries ultimately derailed what was a top-four seed. Most of the rotation is under contract and under 30, hinting at continued growth.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Darius Garland -&gt; Jarrett Allen -&gt; Evan Mobley (Lob) <a href="https://t.co/nDQz7tkxbs">pic.twitter.com/nDQz7tkxbs</a>
&mdash; Jackson Lloyd (@JacksonLloydNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/JacksonLloydNBA/status/1515354588353728522?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 16, 2022</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

This seaon's leap makes the situation with Sexton... difficult. Let's not forget that the combo guard is a season removed from a 24-point-per-game season as an efficient primary scorer, and that the Cavs were 19th in Offensive Rating this year. Sexton can meaningfully boost Cleveland simply as a bucket-getter, nevermind if he keeps improving as a playmaker.
What kind of contract do the Cavs offer to a 23-year-old who missed nearly a full season with a knee injury though? If a desperate team decides to throw money at Sexton to force the franchise to match, is there a limit to the front office's willingness? What would an extension mean for Isaac Okoro and Caris LeVert?&nbsp;
Sexton is one of the biggest dominoes in the upcoming offseason, and arguably the most unpredictable.
LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS
Draft assets:&nbsp;Second-round pick
Potential free agents: Robert Covington, Rodney Hood, Isaiah Hartenstein, Amir Coffey (restricted), Xavier Moon (restricted), Ivica Zubac (team option), Nic Batum (player option)
Central question:&nbsp;What does a fully-healthy 10-man rotation look like?
Nobody expected the Clippers to be a playoff contender without Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, and they still almost cracked the postseason with the supporting cast chipping in. L.A. made a splash at the trade deadline by adding Norman Powell and Robert Covington, two players who conceivably make sense next to the franchise's two stars.
This roster is deep. It's a great problem to have, but it's still a problem with several rotation options potentially hitting free agency. Covington will likely command a solid new deal as one of the league's more reliable two-way complements, and Batum could easily decline his $3.3 million team option in search of a raise. Ivica Zubac and Isaiah Hartenstein may both hit free agency; what would happen to the center rotation in that case?
The Clippers have Leonard, George, Powell, Reggie Jackson, Luke Kennard, Terance Mann and Marcus Morris locked down for next season. That's already seven rotation-caliber players, and it doesn't account for leaps from young talents like Brandon Boston Jr., Jason Preston or Amir Coffey. A roster crunch is inbound, and the organization can't let a quality addition slip away as it positions itself for title contention next season.
SAN ANTONIO SPURS
Draft assets:&nbsp;First-round pick, first-round pick via Raptors, first-round pick via Celtics, second-round pick via Lakers
Potential free agents:&nbsp;Lonnie Walker IV (restricted), Devontae Cacok (restricted), Joe Wieskamp (restricted), DJ Stewart Jr. (restricted), Robert Woodard II (restricted)
Central question:&nbsp;How do the Spurs toe the line between developmental patience and consolidation?
San Antonio valiantly fought to get to the Play-In Tournament before losing to New Orleans, but also had one of the more underrated developmental seasons across the roster. Dejounte Murray made his All-Star leap and Jakob Poeltl established himself as <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/jakob-poeltl-san-antonios-newest-watchful-protector" target="_blank" rel="noopener">one of the league's better rim-protectors</a>; the Spurs collectively were just a tick under league-average on both ends of the floor, per Cleaning the Glass.
One of the NBA's youngest rosters is well on track and about to receive another influx of potential. San Antonio could use its three first-rounders (including its own lottery pick) to add to the frontcourt or find another lead guard. However, the Spurs already have 12 players locked down for next season under at least partial guarantees, and 11 of them are under 30. They have a pathway to over $24 million in salary cap space this summer should they move on from restricted free agents like Walker.&nbsp;
There's an avenue, with draft picks, young players and cap space, for San Antonio to make a serious splash. Is that in the programming for this franchise, though? San Antonio hasn't acquired a star via trade in several years, unless you want to count adding DeMar DeRozan in the Kawhi Leonard blockbuster. At the same time, there are only so many minutes to go around for the young guns, especially if the Spurs think they can compete for the playoffs.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Looking to go to the hottest concerts, sports, theater &amp; family shows near you? Get 100% guaranteed tickets to more than 125,000 live events from TicketSmarter, the official ticket marketplace of BasketballNews.com.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ticketsmarter.com/?utm_source=basketballnewscom&amp;utm_medium=tsaff&amp;utm_campaign=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Order online now</a>!

Ethan Fuller sets the stage for the NBA's four Play-In exits approaching the offseason.

Summer plans for the Spurs, Hornets, Cavaliers and Clippers

Darius Garland had 25 points and 12 assists, leading Cleveland to a 107-101 victory over the Orlando Magic on Monday night in a game in which the Cavaliers lost rookie big man Evan Mobley to a sprained left ankle.
Mobley, the No. 3 overall pick, landed on the foot of Franz Wagner while defending under the basket in the second quarter. He limped to the locker room after briefly laying on the court and did not return to the game.
Lauri Markkanen scored 20 points, Kevin Love had 19 points and seven rebounds, and Isaac Okoro added 11 points for the Cavaliers, who snapped a three-game losing streak and remained seventh in the Eastern Conference with a 42-33 record.
Magic power forward Wendell Carter Jr. had 15 points, 12 rebounds and six assists, Ignas Brazdeikis scored 13 points and Wagner had 10 points and six assists. Orlando has the worst record in the East at 20-56.
The Cavaliers clinched their first winning season in four years. It is the first time they will finish above .500 without LeBron James on their roster since 1997-1998.
Mobley is averaging 14.9 points and 8.3 rebounds, placing him squarely in the Rookie of the Year race with Toronto&rsquo;s Scottie Barnes and Detroit&rsquo;s Cade Cunningham.
Brazdeikis&rsquo; layup gave Orlando a 92-90 lead midway through the fourth, but Markkanen and Garland combined to score the next 12 points, putting Cleveland in front for good. It was capped by an alley-oop from All-Star point guard Garland to Markkanen.
All-Star center Jarrett Allen (left middle finger fracture) missed his 11th straight game for the Cavaliers. Point guard Rajon Rondo (right ankle sprain) has not played since March 12, and shooting guard Collin Sexton (left knee surgery) is out for the season.
Love had eight points in an 18-3 run to start the second that extended Cleveland&rsquo;s lead to 45-25. The Magic answered with a 20-4 spurt, fueled by six points from Carter to pull within two. Cavaliers carried a 60-53 lead into the break.
COMING UP EMPTY
The Cavaliers lost their two most important games of the season to date, 117-104 at Toronto and 98-94 to Chicago in a three-day span. As a result, Cleveland slipped to seventh in the East and now trails both teams. &ldquo;It was the magnitude of the moment and the (limited) experience level of our guys,&rdquo; coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. &ldquo;It hurts. It&rsquo;s painful. But you have to go through it and you have to take some lumps.&rdquo;
Four of the Cavaliers&rsquo; final seven games are on the road.
TIP-INS
Magic: Coach Jamahl Mosley watched the Oscars with Bickerstaff at his house. &hellip; Wagner, Detroit&rsquo;s Saddiq Bey and Phoenix&rsquo;s Mikal Bridges are the only NBA players to start every game this season. &hellip; Rookie G Jalen Suggs (right ankle bruise), the No. 5 overall pick, last played on March 13 against Philadelphia. &hellip; C Bol Bol (right foot surgery) and C Jonathan Isaac (left knee rehabilitation) are out for the season.
Cavaliers: Mobley needs one point to become the eighth rookie in franchise history with 1,000. &hellip; F Dean Wade (right meniscus tear) will miss the rest of the season after undergoing knee surgery. Wade, who made 28 starts, averaged 5.3 points in 51 games. &hellip; C Moses Brown&rsquo;s second 10-day contract runs through March 30. &hellip; Cleveland took a 59-58 lead in its series with Orlando, which entered the NBA in 1989.
UP NEXT
Magic: Visit the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night.
Cavaliers: Host the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night.

The Cavs clinched their first winning season in four years, and Evan Mobley, the No. 3 overall pick, didn't return to the game.

Cavaliers beat Magic 107-101, lose Mobley to sprained ankle

James Harden is the new kid in town, earning raucous cheers from the moment he steps on the court. Joel Embiid hears wire-to-wire &ldquo;MVP!&rdquo; chants from Philly fans begging for a championship.
The 76ers are so much more than their dynamic duo.
Make room for Tyrese Maxey in Philly's version of a Big 3.
Maxey made five 3-pointers and scored 33 points to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to their fifth straight win, 125-119 over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night.
&ldquo;I don't think we look at it as Big 3, Big 2,&rdquo; Maxey said. &ldquo;I think we look at it as one unit.&rdquo;
The 76ers improved to 4-0 with Harden in the lineup. Harden had 25 points and 11 assists. Embiid added 22 points and nine rebounds.
Maxey, though, stole the show.
&ldquo;On any given night, it can be any one of us to go off,&rdquo; Harden said. &ldquo;Tyrese really picked it up for us tonight.&rdquo;
The second-year guard out of Kentucky tore through the Cavaliers in the second half and seemingly turned Embiid and Harden into bystanders. His best sequence came in the fourth. Maxey hit a 3 that gave the Sixers a one-point lead, then he drained a 3 off a pass from Harden on the break that made it 110-106 and had the Philly crowd going wild.
Harden held his arms high and beckoned the crowd to get even louder.
Maxey made 10 of 15 shots (5 of 6 on 3s) and 8 of 9 from the free-throw line with five assists.
&ldquo;He's a fearless kid,&rdquo; coach Doc Rivers said.
Darius Garland scored 26 points and had 19 assists for the Cavaliers, and Isaac Okoro added 22.
Harden, who had at least 20 points and 10 assists for the third time in four games, picked up his third foul at 8:32 in the second quarter and took only four shots through three. Yet, he still had 18 points (and nine assists) on the strength of two 3s and 8 of 8 from the free-throw line.
&ldquo;I've got to do a better job of being more solid,&rdquo; Harden said. &ldquo;I've got to be more smarter so I can be out there and help my team."
His fast success with Embiid was expected. But his presence has turned Maxey into a knock-off Allen Iverson since his arrival.
Maxey made 76ers fans &mdash; and, frankly, the 76ers &mdash; forget about Ben Simmons with his play this season.
He turned it on in the third quarter and brought the Sixers back from long-range, attacking the net, and even with a nifty pass off the break to Embiid.
Maxey hit two 3s and scored 14 points in the quarter to bring the Sixers back from 21 points down to grab a lead late in the third. He buried a 3, then came back right with a 12-footer to make it a three-point deficit. The speedy guard tossed the ball to Embiid for the easy bucket that sent the crowd into a frenzy. He scored 20 points for the fourth straight game, the longest streak of his career -- and all with Harden.
But it was Georges Niang who finally gave the Sixers their first lead on a basket and a 3 that made it 97-93.
&ldquo;He's a shooter. That's what he does,&rdquo; Harden said.
The Cavaliers hit their first nine shots and Kevin Love made a pair of 3s to help them race to a 39-18 lead. They have lost six of seven.
&ldquo;We felt and looked like ourselves for the first time in a while,&rdquo; coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. &ldquo;We just happened to run into a really good basketball team.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Cavaliers: Bickerstaff was fined $20,000 by the NBA for his behavior while being ejected from a game on Monday night. The league fined Bickerstaff for using inappropriate language toward the officiating crew and not leaving the court &ldquo;in a timely manner.&rdquo;
76ers: Veteran C DeAndre Jordan is expected to join the team Saturday after he signed this week. Jordan&rsquo;s arrival reunites him with Rivers, who was his coach while with the Los Angeles Clippers. &ldquo;I hope he recaptures the Lob City days,&rdquo; Rivers said. &ldquo;That would be fantastic for us.&rdquo; The 33-year-old Jordan joins Paul Millsap as a backup center for the Sixers. &ldquo;We've got a bunch of backups now. He&rsquo;s just one of them,&rdquo; Rivers said. &ldquo;But it&rsquo;s great to have him.&rdquo;
HARDEN FOR 3
Harden hit two 3s and has 2,559 on his career, one shy of matching Reggie Miller for third on the NBA's career list.
Bickerstaff coached Harden as an assistant and an interim coach when they were in Houston and raved about his greatness.
&ldquo;He sees the game a step ahead,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s not one of those guys that&rsquo;s just going so fast he&rsquo;s waiting for the offense to react. He&rsquo;s forcing the defense to react. He&rsquo;s one of the most creative decision makers and passers in our game. He also knows when to make the play that&rsquo;s right in front of him.&rdquo;
GARLAND'S COMPANY
Garland <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNStatsInfo/status/1499937898547879937">joined LeBron James and Andre Miller </a> as the only players in Cavs franchise history with multiple 25-point, 15-assist games in a single season.
UP NEXT
Cavaliers: Host Toronto on Sunday.
76ers: Play Saturday at Eastern Conference-leading Miami.

Tyrese Maxey made five three-pointers and scored 33 points to lead the 76ers to their fifth straight win.

Maxey-mum effort: 76ers race past Cavs behind 33 from Maxey

Every day, BasketballNews.com gives you NBA betting analysis before tip-off. Make sure you subscribe to our daily podcast, &ldquo;Nothing But Bets&rdquo; on<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nothing-but-bets/id1589799249"> Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/3rnooUvIsHtvykhPY9Ddt8?si=36d61d2c59a44523">Spotify</a> or wherever you listen to podcasts. Also, make sure to start tailing our PrizePicks Power Plays after the All-Star break, because we keep winning big.
Without further ado, let&rsquo;s go ahead and look at the betting market for future NBA award winners.
Most Valuable Player
There&rsquo;s been a lot of movement in the MVP conversation throughout the regular season. At first, Stephen Curry was the heavy favorite with the way Golden State was dominating teams atop the Western Conference. Now, with Curry cooling off and Draymond Green's injury, his MVP case has fallen off the radar a little bit. At the moment, it looks like a three-man race to have a legitimate MVP conversation. Those contenders are Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
At the moment, the safe wager feels like Embiid. Over the last two-plus months, Embiid has been single handedly carrying the Sixers. James Harden&rsquo;s arrival should make Embiid&rsquo;s job much easier as well. Embiid&rsquo;s odds at +140 is a smart strategy right now, but keep an eye on Giannis at +380 if he closes strong.
Pick: Joel Embiid
Rookie of the Year
A few awards show some real separation in sports books right now. Rookie of the Year is one of the easiest examples with No. 3 overall pick Evan Mobley checking in atop the list with -500 odds. Since Mobley&rsquo;s arrival, Cleveland has transformed overnight becoming a legitimate contender in the revamped Eastern Conference. The Cavaliers&rsquo; core with Mobley, Jarrett Allen, Darius Garland, Caris LeVert, Collin Sexton and Isaac Okoro can go up against a lot of young talent around the Association.
A dark horse contender to monitor is Josh Giddey with an enticing +1100 odds. With three straight triple-doubles, Giddey could keep rising the rookie leaderboard to make it a real race with Mobley. In the meantime, Cleveland&rsquo;s transformative draft pick is the pick.
Pick: Evan Mobley
Most Improved Player
This is another award where the odds lean heavily to a favorite at this stage of the season. Although he deserves more love in the MVP race to be honest, Ja Morant has -500 odds to win Most Improved Player. The Grizzlies&rsquo; incredible rise up the Western Conference standings is due in large part to Morant taking the leap to superstar. Also, the Grizzlies&rsquo; young core has put them in a position to compete for deep postseason runs for years to come.
The only real competition for Morant could be Charlotte&rsquo;s Miles Bridges, but the narrative strongly favors Morant and the Grizzlies to create more separation over the next few months.
Pick: Ja Morant
Coach of the Year
This is the time where the NBA needs to right one of the biggest wrongs from 2020-21. How did Phoenix Suns head coach Monty Williams not win this award last season? It&rsquo;s time to finally give him his well-deserved accolades, helping turn the Suns from a laughingstock into a juggernaut in short order. Williams has the Suns on pace to finish with their best record in franchise history, so the debates against Williams feel very few and far between.
Sure, there are other contenders for this award like JB Bickerstaff (Cavaliers) and Taylor Jenkins (Grizzlies), but this just feels like Williams&rsquo; year to finally grab this award.
Pick: Monty Williams
Sixth Man of the Year
Can we just hand this award over during All-Star weekend in Cleveland? Tyler Herro runs away with the odds for Sixth Man of the Year with a jaw-dropping -1400 line. The reason why it&rsquo;s so strong is not only due to his own scoring growth, putting up career-highs in multiple offensive categories, but the Heat also sit atop the Eastern Conference standings as well.
Herro is an instrumental piece to the Heat&rsquo;s puzzle, putting them squarely in contention to make an NBA Finals run this season. There&rsquo;s not many dark horse options for 6MOY as well, maybe you can throw in Kevin Love at +3000 odds if you feel risky. Let&rsquo;s get this over with already and just hand Herro his hardware.
Pick: Tyler Herro
Defensive Player of the Year
Is this slowly but surely just becoming the NBA&rsquo;s &ldquo;Rudy Gobert&rdquo; award? Once again, the Utah Jazz&rsquo;s big man is the odds-on favorite to win his fourth Defensive Player of the Year award. However, there&rsquo;s some real intrigue to this year&rsquo;s DPOY race.
Draymond Green was the favorite before he went down with injury, still checking in at +200. Could Green make another push post-All-Star break? Giannis is the other real contender to watch here with an intriguing odds listing at +450, the only player within the top three probabilities for both MVP and DPOY. If the Bucks continue to move up the standings, Giannis&rsquo;s case for both awards will grow exponentially.
For now, we side with Gobert in Utah, but the race is far from over.
Pick: Rudy Gobert
<div class="css-1dbjc4n r-1habvwh r-eqz5dr r-11rk87y r-1dye5f7 r-m611by r-13qz1uu">
<div class="css-1dbjc4n r-eqz5dr r-glunga r-13qz1uu">
<div class="css-1dbjc4n r-13qz1uu">
<div class="css-1dbjc4n r-eqz5dr r-glunga r-13qz1uu">
<div>
Make sure to&nbsp;<a href="https://app.prizepicks.com/sign-up?invite_code=News" target="_blank" rel="noopener">check out PrizePicks</a>&nbsp;and use the promo code NEWS when you sign up, and they'll instantly match your deposit up to $100! Also, make sure to listen to "Nothing But Bets" for daily betting analysis on&nbsp;<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nothing-but-bets/id1589799249" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Apple Podcasts</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/3rnooUvIsHtvykhPY9Ddt8?si=36d61d2c59a44523" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Spotify</a> or wherever you listen to podcasts.
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>

Entering the All-Star break, "Nothing But Bets" projects future NBA award winners in future odds.

Best Bets: BasketballNews’ NBA future awards advice

Sporting a 32-21 record and competing at the top of the Eastern Conference, the Cleveland Cavaliers have acquired Indiana Pacers swingman Caris LeVert, a league source confirmed to BasketballNews.com on Sunday evening. The trade was made official on Monday morning.
The deal sends Ricky Rubio, a lottery-protected 2022 first-round pick, a 2022 second-rounder (via the Houston Rockets) and a 2027 second-rounder (Utah Jazz) to Indiana in exchange. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reports a Pacers second-round pick via the Miami Heat will go back to Cleveland.
&ldquo;We are very excited to add a dynamic young player of this caliber and experience,&rdquo; said Cavs president Koby Altman. &ldquo;Caris LeVert fits uniquely into our culture and his Ohio roots brings an immediate connection to our community. We look forward to seeing what type of impact he can make on this roster. We also want to send our best wishes to Ricky Rubio and his family. Ricky has been the consummate professional and his leadership both on and off the court was invaluable and we respect everything he brought to this franchise.&rdquo;
Spencer Davies and Evan Sidery reacted to this trade for both sides.
Cleveland Cavaliers
A Columbus, Ohio native, LeVert will play a couple of hours north in his home state. This move will also reunite him with Jarrett Allen (and Ed Davis), who was a fellow foundational piece with the Brooklyn Nets prior to the team moving on from both last January in the James Harden deal.&nbsp;
That&rsquo;s the non-basketball fit, which looks just about as natural as ever. How about the on-floor part of it?&nbsp;
For starters, LeVert is a wing who can definitely create his own shot. Averaging 18.7 points per game on 53% True Shooting, when he&rsquo;s aggressive, he can get by you. If he gets a sitting duck out on the perimeter in an iso situation, he&rsquo;s able to weave by and navigate his way through traffic. For a Cavs&rsquo; bench unit that&rsquo;s been thirsting for consistent production and taking the heavy load of Kevin Love&rsquo;s plate, LeVert could be a godsend in that regard. Simply put, a bucket-getter who attacks and loves the pull-up mid-rangers.&nbsp;
LeVert isn&rsquo;t burning it down with those shots, however, shooting a paltry 36.8% on his 7.5 attempts per contest. He&rsquo;s also not a knockdown three-baller by any means, and his shot selection can be questionable in certain moments. But where he does do a solid job is in pick-and-roll situations.
According to InStat, a whopping 34.7% of LeVert&rsquo;s possessions have come with him operating as the ball-handler in pNr. In his last 10 games, it&rsquo;s been 43.4%. So if you deduce anything from that, it&rsquo;s that LeVert operates in a playmaking fashion and has patience with the ball. The Pacers scored 0.99 points per possession in said scenarios, and over those last 10, that increased to 1.07.&nbsp;
Needless to say, with Allen and Love&rsquo;s ability to use pindowns and high/middle screens &mdash; and Evan Mobley could be a great partner for quick slips &mdash; LeVert will be asked to do the same things he did with Sabonis, just as a super sub. If you watch the tape on his work with Domas, LeVert really likes to use the middle of the floor and has a right-handed floater that he goes to a lot. Per InStat, LeVert is shooting 54% in pNr situations in that specific zone. LeVert also did a pretty solid job of fitting in pocket passes and looking over the top for Sabonis too.
It&rsquo;ll be interesting to see how LeVert meshes with Darius Garland. Catch-and-drives should be a plenty for the former Michigan Wolverine. He&rsquo;s not really a shoot-off-the-catch type of player. He&rsquo;s more or less crafty, and kind of makes his own offense. You haven&rsquo;t seen LeVert off the ball much, so maybe J.B. Bickerstaff and Co. will give that a try considering Garland&rsquo;s wizard-like table-setting could get LeVert opportunities to get to the basket with momentum. (Baseline cuts, anybody?)
Isaac Okoro&rsquo;s responsibilities shouldn&rsquo;t be impacted too differently. Lamar Stevens may lose some run; Bickerstaff will always find a way to get that guy on the floor regardless. Figuring out the closing lineups will be a task.
LeVert is going to basically be a blend of the Rubio and Collin Sexton roles, which brings about another interesting question in this: What does the future look like for Young Bull in Cleveland? He&rsquo;s been traveling with the team, back in the locker room and bringing energy to the wine-and-gold post-surgery. Sexton just switched representation on Saturday to Klutch too.
The Cavs clearly value what he brings to the franchise. Still, the acquisition of LeVert (and possible long-term option) has to arise questions. They are similar players and are going to command quite a bit of money. There&rsquo;s a Darius Garland rookie-max extension on the horizon to boot. Is there a way Cleveland can keep all of this together?
Who knows. What we do know is that the Cavs are focused on the now, and it&rsquo;s exciting to see Altman going for gold. Let&rsquo;s not forget that the team still has a disabled player exception ($3.3M) to play with ahead of Thursday&rsquo;s trade deadline to bolster the depth of this team. Cleveland&rsquo;s front office has been anything but bashful in the trade market, and for good reason.
This team when healthy is a load to handle. It&rsquo;s smart on their part to give up future draft compensation because there&rsquo;s a boatload of youth on the roster. The Cavs do owe Rubio a debt of gratitude for bestowing his knowledge upon them and, on the floor, helping mature those inexperienced players rapidly. The hope is that moving him after his injury doesn&rsquo;t rub the locker room the wrong way; while business is business, that group absolutely loved Ricky.
Now bringing Rubio back looks like a longshot. Instead, they addressed a desperate short-term need with long-term thinking, and it cost Cleveland very little to accomplish that. We&rsquo;ll see how long it takes LeVert to get acclimated.&nbsp;
- Spencer Davies
Indiana Pacers
Indiana has decided to finally push the reset button on their console after waiting far too long to do so.&nbsp;
LeVert will be an instant jolt to the Cavaliers&rsquo; bench, but from Indiana&rsquo;s perspective, this gets very interesting.
Before the Malcolm Brogdon sign-and-trade with the Milwaukee Bucks fell into their lap two offseasons ago, Rubio was reportedly their top free agent target to stabilize their point guard position.&nbsp;
ESPN&rsquo;s Wojnarowski relayed on Sunday how the Pacers <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/33232735/sources-cleveland-cavs-acquire-caris-levert-trade-indiana-pacers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">could be in for a full-on rebuild with Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis being thrown around in trade talks</a>, so this could just be the first domino from Indy&rsquo;s side to drop down. Although Brogdon signed an extension before the regular season, which makes him ineligible to get moved right now, he&rsquo;s back on the table this summer.
If the Pacers want to save long-term cap space and flexibility, moving off Brogdon&rsquo;s deal and re-signing Rubio to a team-friendly deal actually makes a lot of sense. The cupboard is relatively bare right now in Indiana. Outside of 2021 first-round picks Chris Duarte and Isaiah Jackson, seemingly every player is on the table in potential trades.
As seen during his stints with the Cavaliers and Phoenix Suns, Rubio is a calming presence who helps elevate rebuilding teams to higher levels than expected. If the Pacers move off Brogdon this offseason, Rubio ideally steps into the primary facilitating role while uplifting an extremely young and different foundation in Indiana.
LeVert was a solid dice roll to gamble on from the Pacers&rsquo; perspective. After Victor Oladipo let it be known he wouldn&rsquo;t sign a long-term deal in Indiana, LeVert was a capable flier who could maybe fit into their long-term vision.
Now, with Sunday&rsquo;s breaking news, we know how the Pacers felt about that possibility. The trade rumors are not dying down anytime soon in Indiana. If anything, this only strengthens the idea of a full-blown rebuilding effort about to take place for an organization long overdue for this strategy.
- Evan Sidery
Looking to go to the hottest concerts, sports, theater &amp; family shows near you? Get 100% guaranteed tickets to more than 125,000 live events from TicketSmarter, the official ticket marketplace of BasketballNews.com.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ticketsmarter.com/?utm_source=basketballnewscom&amp;utm_medium=tsaff&amp;utm_campaign=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Order online now</a>!

Spencer Davies and Evan Sidery analyze the Caris LeVert trade between the Cavaliers and Pacers from both sides.

Reaction: Caris LeVert fills blended need for Cavs as Pacers reset

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) &mdash; Klay Thompson scored 17 points in his return from two devastating injuries that sidelined him more than 2 1/2 years, helping the Golden State Warriors beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 96-82 on Sunday night.
Thompson was 7 of 18 from the field and 3 of 8 from 3-point range. He added three rebounds, an assist and a steal in 20 minutes, walking off the court to a thunderous ovation followed by chants of &ldquo;Klay! Klay!&rdquo; from the Chase Center crowd.
Stephen Curry had 29 points, five rebounds and five assists, and Jordan Poole added 14 points for Golden State. The Warriors snapped a two-game losing streak to tie Phoenix for the NBA lead at 30-9.
Lamar Stevens had 17 points and four rebounds for Cleveland.
Thompson missed 941 days and hadn&rsquo;t played since tearing the ACL in his left knee in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals against Toronto. While rehabbing from surgery for that injury, he tore his right Achilles tendon scrimmaging on his own in November 2020.
The five-time All-Star finally made his much-anticipated return, and reached two career milestones &mdash; 12,000 points and 1,800 3-pointers.
&ldquo;It was just amazing having him out there,&rdquo; Curry said on the television broadcast.
Thompson got off to a slow start but showed plenty of the flash that made him a vital component on Golden State&rsquo;s three championship teams from 2015-18.
At one point Thompson brought the crowd to its feet when he drove around a defender near the 3-point line and scored on a jarring one-handed dunk. Thompson snarled and pounded his chest as he walked back toward midcourt. Moments later he made his first 3-pointer to go over 12,000 points and put the Warriors up 49-41.
After spending time on a stationary bicycle, Thompson started the third quarter and made three consecutive shots, including his 1,800th.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
TIP-INS
Cavaliers: Isaac Okoro missed his third straight game because of a sprained left elbow.
Warriors: Golden State has won 10 straight against Cleveland. &hellip; Juan Tosco-Anderson had two points, four rebounds and three assists after being questionable before the game because of left ankle soreness.
UP NEXT
Cavaliers: At Sacramento on Monday night.
Warriors: At Memphis on Tuesday night.

Klay Thompson scored 17 points a return from injuries that sidelined him more than 2 years, helping the Warriors beat the Cavaliers.

Klay Thompson has 17 points in return, Warriors beat Cavs

Kevin Love and Darius Garland scored 22 points apiece, and the Cleveland Cavaliers tied their franchise record with 46 points in the third quarter of a 144-99 rout over the COVID-19 depleted Toronto Raptors on Sunday night.
Lauri Markkanen added 20 points and Garland had eight assists for Cleveland, which led by 47 points twice late in the fourth. The Cavaliers won their fifth in a row at home and made 22 3-pointers in a team-record 52 attempts.
It was Cleveland&rsquo;s largest victory margin of the season and the first time Toronto has lost by more than 17 points in 2021-22. The Cavaliers had 39 assists, two shy of the most in the NBA this season.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re lucky to be in this position where we&rsquo;ve got such a good thing going on,&rdquo; Markkanen said. &ldquo;We play hard and we play unselfish basketball. Once we brought the energy we needed, the floodgates just kind of opened up after that.&rdquo;
Yuta Watanabe posted career highs of 26 points and 13 rebounds for Toronto, and Chris Boucher scored 21 points. The Raptors have 10 players in the NBA&rsquo;s health and safety protocols, including top scorer Fred VanVleet, rookie Scottie Barnes and Pascal Siakam.
&ldquo;We had to take a pretty good loss tonight, but we&rsquo;ll bounce back,&rdquo; Raptors coach Nick Nurse said. &ldquo;It was a good game for Yuta, and that&rsquo;s about it.&rdquo;
Toronto&rsquo;s eight-man active roster &mdash; featuring four hardship signees &mdash; had never been together until holding a brief practice on the main court at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse before the game. D.J. Wilson had 15 points and eight rebounds in his team debut.
&ldquo;We met those guys on the bus on the way to the arena,&rdquo; Watanabe said. &ldquo;Because we weren&rsquo;t permitted to do anything together the last few days, I spent a lot of time in the gym by myself putting up shots. That&rsquo;s all you could do.&rdquo;
The Raptors&rsquo; previous two games were postponed when they could not suit up the required eight players. Boucher, Watanabe, Svi Mykhailiuk and Dalano Banton were the only holdovers from their pre-outbreak squad.
Denzel Valentine had 17 points and nine rebounds, Dean Wade scored 17 points, and Ricky Rubio had 16 points and six assists for Cleveland. Love grabbed nine boards and Tacko Fall had three points and seven rebounds in 11 minutes off the bench.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve got a good thing going and I&rsquo;m having a lot of fun,&rdquo; Love said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s going to be great watching this young team develop. We know we&rsquo;re going to get everyone&rsquo;s best shot at us going forward, so I hope 2022 is a year of growth.&rdquo;
Rookie Evan Mobley and center Jarrett Allen were among seven Cavaliers sidelined because of the safety protocols. Cleveland has the fifth-best record in the Eastern Conference at 20-13.
&ldquo;The Raptors came out and played hard, but as the game went on, we were more physical and that obviously took a toll on them,&rdquo; Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff said.
TIP-INS
Raptors: G Gary Trent Jr., F Precious Achiuwa, F OG Anunoby, C Khem Birch, F Isaac Bonga, F Justin Champagnie and G Malachi Flynn also are in the health and safety protocols. &hellip; G Goran Dragic (personal reasons) and G David Johnson (left calf strain) were officially active, but unavailable. &hellip; F D.J. Wilson, F Juwan Morgan, C Daniel Oturu and G Tremont Waters are on 10-day contracts via roster exceptions.
Cavaliers: G Isaac Okoro missed his third straight game as he works on his conditioning after being cleared from the safety protocols. &hellip; F Cedi Osman was added to the protocols earlier in the day, joining C Ed Davis, G RJ Nembhard, G Lamar Stevens and F Dylan Windler. &hellip; Cleveland leads the East and ranks third in the NBA with 15 double-digit victories. The Cavaliers&rsquo; last 11 wins have been by at least 10 points.
CHRISTMAS GIFT
Bickerstaff, who was promoted to the job on Feb. 19, 2020, signed a multi-year contract extension on Saturday morning. The son of longtime NBA coach and current Cleveland senior advisor Bernie Bickerstaff took over a team in disarray following the resignation of John Beilein. &ldquo;If you look at our roster, we&rsquo;ve got guys locked in here for a long time,&rdquo; said Bickerstaff, who is 47-69 with the Cavaliers. &ldquo;Now, with this coaching staff, we&rsquo;re locked in for a long time, too.&rdquo;
UP NEXT
Raptors: Host Philadelphia on Tuesday night.
Cavaliers: Visit New Orleans on Tuesday night.

The Cavaliers tied their franchise record with 46 points in the third quarter of a 144-99 rout over the depleted Raptors.

Love, Garland score 22 as Cavs rout depleted Raptors 144-99

This afternoon, the Cleveland Cavaliers announced an MRI showed that Collin Sexton suffered a meniscus tear in his left knee, meaning the fourth-year guard will be sidelined for an undetermined amount of time. The team said in a press release that Sexton &ldquo;will undergo additional evaluation after which time his status will be updated.&rdquo;
With the Cavs ripping through their difficult schedule at 7-4, the news is an unfortunate cloud over the good vibes that have guided the wine and gold to an incredible start. Prior to the contest in New York, Sexton had been averaging 16.0 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game.&nbsp;
"He&rsquo;s going through a lot right now hearing that, for anybody, especially Collin. We know how much he loves this game, how much he puts a lot of energy and his life into it. So just seeing him, it&rsquo;s just devastating for me," Cavs big man Jarrett Allen said. "As a friend, as a teammate, just seeing him go down... I know he wants to be out there with us. We&rsquo;re losing a lot losing him &mdash; as a person, as a competitor. He&rsquo;s always out here giving it his all, and that forces us to give it our all. We want to match his energy. So he&rsquo;s definitely gonna be missed.&rdquo;
&ldquo;We just want to make sure that he knows that we&rsquo;re there for him, and we&rsquo;ll do whatever we can to help him through the process. At the end of the day, it&rsquo;s bigger than basketball," Cleveland head coach J.B. Bickerstaff added. "There&rsquo;s the human spirit and emotions involved, so we just want to make sure that he knows anything he needs, we&rsquo;ve got his back and we&rsquo;re here to support him.&rdquo;
Although his shooting percentages across the board are down, his .300 three-point rate is the highest it&rsquo;s been since coming into the league, and his game has become more efficient. He&rsquo;s also had to make a major adjustment to the Cavs&rsquo; change in offensive strategy, spreading the ball around with fewer dribbles and more all-around involvement. Many detractors point to his nature of dominating the ball, however, Sexton has been tremendous off the ball as a cutter getting easy looks at the rim, and currently has the third-highest amount of potential assists on the team with 65. Defensively, the will to defend has been there as well. Of course, we all know how ridiculous his burst is in transition too.&nbsp;
"It&rsquo;s huge. Obviously, the threat that he is. Games come down to getting a bucket, and a lot of teams switch and you&rsquo;ve got to be able to beat your man," Bickerstaff said. "Collin is one of our guys who can beat his man and force teams to make different decisions on how they want to play their coverages and things like that. So the competitive nature that he plays with and how hard he competes, all of those things. We&rsquo;re gonna miss him for sure.&rdquo;
The truth is that Cleveland won&rsquo;t easily fill the role of somebody who can drop 30 points in any game, and they certainly can't do it with one player.
"I think everybody&rsquo;s just gotta tick-up a couple notches. We&rsquo;re not gonna expect one person to get Collin&rsquo;s 16 [points] a night," Bickerstaff said. "So those guys that are stepping in and their minutes are gonna increase, they&rsquo;ve got to find ways to help &mdash; whether they create shots for other people, whether it&rsquo;s the shots for them, the defensive floor they take the challenges. It&rsquo;s gonna be everybody that&rsquo;s gotta contribute a little bit more. The guys who are taking those minutes and then the guys who are playing [already] as well. They&rsquo;re gonna have to find a way to help us more as well.&rdquo;
It&rsquo;s also an awful break for Sexton, who entered the season in a contract year after the Cavs front office and his representation didn&rsquo;t come to terms on a rookie-max extension agreement. And even with that not going his way, he&rsquo;s been bought-in from the start of training camp around the team&rsquo;s massive change in playstyle.
So what&rsquo;s next for Bickerstaff and company? Well, luckily the team has been on a roll with just about everybody contributing. Standout rookie Evan Mobley is showing us something new every night, and Allen just won the NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week award for the first time in franchise history since LeBron James in the 2018 season. Those guys feast in the paint on both ends, particularly as stifling defenders and versatile weapons offensively.
The Cavs are still waiting for Isaac Okoro to come back from a hamstring injury that&rsquo;s been ailing him. This could be an opportunity for last year&rsquo;s first-round pick to flourish as a 2-guard, depending on how the coaching staff wants to utilize him. Remember, he was <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/isaac-okoro-sharpening-shot-pivoting-to-playmaking-for-cavs-in-vegas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">showcasing an ability to play-make in Las Vegas</a> at summer league. It also helps that Cleveland believes shooting guard is the best position suited for Okoro.
Ricky Rubio is the obvious candidate to see a bump in minutes. After a ridiculous career night at Madison Square Garden, we&rsquo;re set to see more lineups featuring him and Darius Garland together. Those two have thrived as a combination this season with a plus-15.8 net rating, constantly moving the ball and finding the bigs. In addition, a bigger leap will have to come from Garland, who has already displayed a willingness to take on more of a scoring load in addition to his ability to set guys up. Bickerstaff said Tuesday that Garland's usage rate will increase with more opportunities to facilitate and take more shots, so expect more pull-up threes from the third-year maestro.
Dylan Windler has shown his ability to stretch the floor and run around like a madman, keeping defenses honest with his outside shooting and overall activity on either end. Bickerstaff senses with the recent reps he's gotten that Windler is getting more comfortable. Cedi Osman will likely continue to see more time as well, as he&rsquo;s enjoyed a career season shooting the basketball and thrived in his role. The Turkish swingman is not only knocking down a career-best 45.3% of his triples, but also hustling as a defender &mdash; particularly getting back to defend fastbreaks.
Remember too that, despite being frontcourt players, Lauri Markkanen and Kevin Love have been sidelined in the league&rsquo;s health and safety protocols. When those two return, Cleveland will have options and keep sending out those big-man lineups. There are weapons all around for this group to use, and every night it can be somebody different to step up to the challenge.
Losing Sexton hurts the Cavs and the man himself in more ways than one. With that said, considering the way Cleveland is playing right now, it doesn&rsquo;t feel like the drop-off will be as severe as it may have been in the past.&nbsp;
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s just gonna come down to us sharing the ball, playing more together as a team," Allen said. "Not saying we didn&rsquo;t before that, but now that certain level of scoring and a certain level of our reliance on him to close-out games like that, we&rsquo;re gonna have to come together more as a team and step up."

The Cavs have lost Collin Sexton to a meniscus tear in his left knee. Spencer Davies looks at who will have to fill the void.

With Collin Sexton sidelined, who's next man up for Cavs?

The biggest offseason domino yet to fall is Philadelphia 76ers point guard Ben Simmons.
Coming off a forgetful playoff run where he seemed allergic to having the basketball in his hands late in games, Simmons and the Sixers are at a crossroads. Will the 25-year-old max All-Star stay in Philadelphia, or will he be shipped off elsewhere before the 2021-22 season begins?
Last season, Simmons averaged a career-low 14.3 points to go along with 7.2 rebounds and 6.9 assists. However, he's been a plus-defender his entire career; there&rsquo;s no denying the impact he has on that end of the floor. Coming off two consecutive seasons in which he was named to the All-Defense First Team, any organization should be able to utilize the jumbo-sized, uber-athletic point-forward on both offense and defense.
However, it&rsquo;s fair to wonder whether Simmons can reach his full potential in a Sixers uniform. With Joel Embiid, Simmons isn't utilized as a post-passing savant who can abuse mismatches against slower-footed bigs. In an offense built entirely around Simmons, he could flourish with more freedom.
Simmons is an interesting case study for star-caliber players on massive salaries. With his trade value at an all-time low, Philadelphia is still asking for an enormous return &mdash; four first-round picks and an All-Star has been reported. Nobody will give Sixers GM Daryl Morey that much value in any Simmons deal, so what makes sense in a potential package?
Let&rsquo;s go ahead and take a look, name some teams that should be calling Philadelphia and assemble some trade packages.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
SACRAMENTO KINGS
The pressure is on for Sacramento to finally field a winning team and snap their 15-year playoff drought. Whether it be Simmons or Pascal Siakam, I&rsquo;ve suggested that the Kings finally push their chips into the middle of the table for an aggressive win-now move.
Simmons would be the perfect piece to fit into their puzzle alongside De&rsquo;Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton. The Kings&rsquo; backcourt duo had a positive net rating last season, and adding Simmons to the mix gives them a very fun playmaking trio that can play off one another.
Playing the four alongside Richaun Holmes provides little spacing, but Simmons could become the de-facto primary ball handler with Fox and Haliburton providing spacing around the perimeter. A potential starting unit featuring Fox, Haliburton, Harrison Barnes, Simmons and Richaun Holmes could hold up on both ends of the court.
Philadelphia receives: Buddy Hield, Marvin Bagley III, two first-round picks
Sacramento receives: Ben Simmons
MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES
In a similar position as Sacramento, Minnesota could rise in the Western Conference with an impact move. Karl-Anthony Towns is a bonafide superstar, while Anthony Edwards has great potential. Tossing Simmons into the Timberwolves&rsquo; lineup would be exactly how they can become a more well-rounded team.
The question is, would Minnesota pull the trigger on trading Towns&rsquo; good friend D&rsquo;Angelo Russell? If so, Minnesota&rsquo;s new Big 3 would be outstanding.
Imagine the endless possibilities with Simmons flanking Towns and Edwards. The Wolves&rsquo; primary scoring duo could still have their way offensively, but Simmons would be the glue holding everything together from a playmaking and defensive standpoint.
Philadelphia receives: D&rsquo;Angelo Russell, Jaden McDaniels, future first-round pick
Minnesota receives: Ben Simmons
SAN ANTONIO SPURS
What exactly are the Spurs up to right now? Signing Doug McDermott and Bryn Forbes, San Antonio might be picturing a scenario where they are good enough to push for the playoffs. The strategy for San Antonio should revolve around tanking and focusing on the internal development of their young core.
However, if the Spurs want to make one more big push before head coach Gregg Popovich&rsquo;s presumed retirement, maybe a Simmons trade could go down.
San Antonio has a strong ecosystem in which Simmons could rebuild his value. Surrounded by plus three-point shooters, Simmons can reach his ceiling in a role where everything is built around his strengths.
Philadelphia receives: Dejounte Murray, Lonnie Walker, Thaddeus Young, future first-round pick
San Antonio receives: Ben Simmons
GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS
Would the Warriors even be interested in Simmons? It&rsquo;s a real question to ask with Draymond Green already playing a similar role. However, as Green ages, he&rsquo;s the perfect mentor for Simmons to learn from.
Golden State has one big move left up their sleeve with Andrew Wiggins' contract and a lot of young prospects &mdash; James Wiseman, Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody and Jordan Poole. Surely they have their eyes on All-NBA talents such as Damian Lillard and Bradley Beal, but Simmons could be the most realistic player to add with their current collection of assets.
Imagining Simmons flanked by Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson is a fun exercise, too. Maybe down the line, this is the type of environment where Simmons could become a player where the offense is adequately spaced for him to feast on drives to the basket.
Philadelphia receives: Andrew Wiggins, James Wiseman, Jordan Poole, two future first-round picks
Golden State receives: Ben Simmons
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/usatsi_15857110_lg.jpg" alt="" width="711" height="474" />
WASHINGTON WIZARDS
One team that has finally tried to build around their star the right way is Washington, which is set to give Bradley Beal a competent roster for the 2021-22 season. However, Beal is entering the final year of his deal.
Would Simmons work well alongside Beal? That&rsquo;s a legitimate concern, but a home run swing that could be necessary for Beal to commit long-term in the nation&rsquo;s capital.
Simmons and Beal flanked by shooters and prospects is a nice foundation for Wizards GM Tommy Shepard to build around for the next five-plus years.
Philadelphia receives: Davis Bertans, Kyle Kuzma, Deni Avdija, two future first-round picks
Washington receives: Ben Simmons
TORONTO RAPTORS
Another team facing a fork in the road with their current roster construction, Toronto has to decide on what happens with Pascal Siakam. Will Toronto keep Siakam around with their young core, or flip him for more long-term value?
If the Raptors want to make an aggressive win-now push while also offloading Siakam, enter Simmons.
A potential lineup of Simmons with Fred VanVleet, OG Anunoby, Scottie Barnes and Precious Achiuwa sounds like something Toronto would love to try.
Is Simmons open to moving across the border? If so, this could be a win-win deal for both sides as they begin new eras for their respective organizations. Siakam and Embiid is a terrifying frontcourt for Philadelphia, and the duo would allow Tobias Harris to slide back into the small forward position. Meanwhile, Toronto brings Simmons aboard as their new face of the franchise with a solid young nucleus surrounding him.
Philadelphia receives: Pascal Siakam
Toronto receives: Ben Simmons
INDIANA PACERS
No surprise, Indiana is another team that could be staring down the barrel of important, franchise-altering decisions within a year. The Pacers have a great, well-balanced roster that&rsquo;s been plagued by injuries over the last few seasons. T.J. Warren, who broke out in a huge way during the Orlando Bubble, only played four games during the 2019-20 campaign. Caris LeVert missed time due to a cancerous tumor that was discovered after the James Harden trade. Myles Turner and Malcolm Brogdon continue to miss time here and there due to various injuries, not helping remove the "injury-prone" labels placed on them in the past.
Rick Carlisle is making a triumphant return to Indiana after more than a decade, and the Pacers feel a coaching switch and better health might be their best bet to jump up another rung in the Eastern Conference standings.
Indiana has sniffed around Simmons' availability already this offseason, though. Having a tough time being able to pitch top free agents on coming to Indianapolis, making an aggressive trade might be the only way for it to happen.
Although one of Myles Turner or Domantas Sabonis would need to be moved to a third team in this hypothetical scenario, Indiana going star hunting could be the necessary tweak to change their long-term fortunes.
Philadelphia receives: Malcolm Brogdon, Jeremy Lamb, two future first-round picks
Indiana receives: Ben Simmons
CLEVELAND CAVALIERS
After drafting Evan Mobley No. 3 overall in the 2021 NBA Draft, Cleveland has a bright, young core. Darius Garland, Mobley, Jarrett Allen, Isaac Okoro and Collin Sexton will be fun to watch, but do all of the pieces actually fit together? The Cavaliers have reportedly shopped Sexton this offseason with a big-money extension potentially waiting for him in 2022. Cleveland prefers Darius Garland, who has continued to develop in his first two seasons. Being able to play off the ball as well, Garland has already shown the ability to function alongside another primary ball handler.
Kevin Love is the odd man out of Cleveland right now, but a buyout doesn&rsquo;t seem to be on the horizon; he has two years remaining on his extension.
Could Philadelphia and Cleveland build a win-win package around Simmons for Love and Sexton? It&rsquo;s a long-shot, but one that might have already been explored. Longtime NBA insider Marc Stein mentioned earlier this offseason that Cleveland is another team who has previously expressed interest in acquiring Simmons.
A core in Cleveland consisting of Simmons, Garland, Mobley, Allen and Okoro is something that&rsquo;s at least intriguing on surface level.
Philadelphia receives: Kevin Love, Collin Sexton, two future first-round picks
Cleveland receives: Ben Simmons
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS
This is Portland&rsquo;s last chance to build a Finals contender around Damian Lillard. So far this offseason, they haven&rsquo;t come close. Re-signing Norman Powell was a necessary step, but retooling their bench with Cody Zeller, Tony Snell and Ben McLemore won&rsquo;t get it done.
The Blazers are stuck in the middle, which is the worst place to be. With that being said, it&rsquo;s time to finally break up the Lillard, C.J. McCollum backcourt. Whether it be Simmons or Siakam, Portland needs to finally make an aggressive push to appease their disgruntled superstar.
A deal revolving around Simmons and McCollum makes sense for both parties. McCollum can function as a score-first combo guard who can play well off Embiid, while Simmons provides a beautiful blend of playmaking and defense alongside Lillard.
Philadelphia receives: C.J. McCollum, Nassir Little, two future first-round picks
Portland receives: Ben Simmons
Simmons' future is the biggest question remaining in an already eventful 2021-22 offseason. Odds are, he'll be moved to the highest bidder. Perhaps it'll end up being one of the aforementioned teams.

Ben Simmons is the last big domino left to fall this offseason. Will he stay in Philadelphia? It's time to explore potential destinations.

Francis