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Cavaliers

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;
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&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).
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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;
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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.
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&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

It&rsquo;s been almost a given in NBA circles that the Celtics&nbsp;will move Dennis Schroder to get under the luxury tax, and while that remains the most likely outcome, we&rsquo;re hearing it&rsquo;s possible he could still be on the club after Thursday.
A couple of NBA clubs that have looked into Schroder have found that the Celtics aren&rsquo;t just looking to give him away...
The feeling here is that if Boston can get something at all reasonable for Schroder, they&rsquo;re comfortable replacing his minutes at the point with Payton Pritchard and Josh Richardson &mdash; though at least some there would like to keep Schroder in case of injury to someone higher in the rotation.
SOURCE: <a href="https://heavy.com/sports/boston-celtics/dennis-schroder-nba-trade-rumors/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com</a>
ANALYSIS: With Jaylen Brown's cap number decreasing after he missed the All-Star Game, it'll be easier for the Celtics to get under the luxury tax, <a href="https://heavy.com/sports/boston-celtics/dennis-schroder-nba-trade-rumors/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">writes</a> Bulpett. Boston just needs to cut "less than $1 million" to get there, so they have some options and don't necessarily need to trade Schroder.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s been playing well, and he&rsquo;s been a good part of what they&rsquo;re doing lately,&rdquo; one NBA exec <a href="https://heavy.com/sports/boston-celtics/dennis-schroder-nba-trade-rumors/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said of Schroder</a>. &ldquo;I still think they might prefer to move him, but now they&rsquo;re looking for an asset in return. They don&rsquo;t feel like they have to trade him now, and they&rsquo;d like to turn him into an asset for next year.&rdquo;
The <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10026215-celtics-trade-rumors-dennis-schroder-talks-held-with-bucks-donte-divincenzo-linked" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Milwaukee Bucks</a>, <a href="https://www.actionnetwork.com/nba/nba-trade-deadline-rumors-intel-james-harden-ben-simmons-harrison-barnes-2022" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chicago Bulls</a> and <a href="https://theathletic.com/3117052/2022/02/08/milwaukee-bucks-pursuing-celtics-grant-williams-what-im-hearing-about-the-nba-trade-deadline/?source=nbatw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cleveland Cavaliers</a> are among the teams that have reportedly expressed interest in Schroder. The Cavs have continued to pursue Schroder even after acquiring Caris LeVert, reports <a href="https://theathletic.com/3117052/2022/02/08/milwaukee-bucks-pursuing-celtics-grant-williams-what-im-hearing-about-the-nba-trade-deadline/?source=nbatw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jared Weiss of The Athletic</a>.
Milwaukee is <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10026215-celtics-trade-rumors-dennis-schroder-talks-held-with-bucks-donte-divincenzo-linked" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> offering Donte DiVincenzo, Chicago is <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2953006-trade-deadline-intel-wizards-among-nbas-most-active-shoppers-eyeing-sabonis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> proposing Troy Brown Jr. and a second-round pick, while Cleveland is <a href="https://theathletic.com/3117052/2022/02/08/milwaukee-bucks-pursuing-celtics-grant-williams-what-im-hearing-about-the-nba-trade-deadline/?source=nbatw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> dangling two of Kevin Pangos, Ed Davis and Dylan Windler (plus draft compensation).
This season, Schroder is averaging 14.4 points, 4.3 assists, 3.3 rebounds, 1.4 threes and 0.9 steals in 29.5 minutes per game, while shooting 43.8% from the field, 34.9% from three and 84.6% from the free-throw line.
Last offseason, the 28-year-old signed a one-year, $5.9 million deal with the Celtics &mdash; just months after turning down a four-year, $84 million extension with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Boston is currently 31-25, which is the seventh-best record in the Eastern Conference. The Celtics have the NBA's third-best defense (allowing 103.3 points per 100 possessions) and 16th-best offense (scoring 108.0 points per 100 possessions).
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The Bucks, Bulls and Cavaliers are among the teams that have reportedly expressed interest in Schroder.

Bucks, Bulls, Cavs want Dennis Schroder, but Celtics may keep him?

The Cleveland Cavaliers are legit, and the defending NBA champions now know it, too.
Kevin Love scored 25 points, Cedi Osman added 23 and the Cavs pulled off their most impressive win in what's become a turnaround season, 115-99 over the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night.
&ldquo;This is not the Cleveland we knew over the past few years,&rdquo; Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo said. &ldquo;They have a good team and we have to respect them more. They're a playoff team and are fighting for the title themselves.&rdquo;
A year ago, the Cavs won just 22 games and found themselves in the draft lottery for the third straight season. Not only has Cleveland surpassed its win total already this season, but the Cavs (30-19) are tied for the most wins in the Eastern Conference.
&ldquo;It's who we are," Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said when asked about the win's significance. "We take on all challenges. We don't run from anybody. We don't back down. We give everybody our best shot."
The Cavs made 19 3-pointers &mdash; seven in the second quarter &mdash; and won for the eighth time in nine games. They also leap-frogged Milwaukee in the standings, and served notice they've got bigger plans ahead.
&ldquo;We feel if we play hard and stay true to our system, we can beat anybody,&rdquo; said Love, a five-time All-Star thriving in a reserve role this season. &ldquo;I just want to bottle up what we have right now and stay hungry.&rdquo;
Darius Garland scored 19 and rookie Evan Mobley had 16 for the Cavs. Jarrett Allen returned after missing one game with an illness and had 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Antetokounmpo scored 26 points after missing a game with knee soreness, but had seven of Milwaukee's 19 turnovers that led to 31 points for Cleveland. Bobby Portis added 22 points and Khris Middleton 21 for the Bucks, who had their winning streak stopped at three.
Milwaukee has lost a season-high four straight on the road, and the trouble really started in the third period.
Cleveland regrouped after a slow start, tightened its perimeter defense and built an eight-point halftime lead. The Cavs then opened the second half with an 11-2 run that included three 3-pointers in a 48-second span by Garland, Mobley and Dean Wade.
The Cavs pushed their lead to 93-72 before Garland went out briefly with back tightness. The young point guard seemed to land awkwardly after making a reverse layup and went to the locker room for treatment before returning. Bickerstaff said Garland is OK.
&ldquo;They played lights out tonight,&rdquo; Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. "I don&rsquo;t know what the right analogy is, but they played really well. They beat us pretty good. Live ball turnovers is when transition defense is the toughest, and we made a lot of them.&rdquo;
Before the game, Bickerstaff figured 3-pointers would be the key because of Milwaukee's preference to shoot them &mdash; and give them up.
After the Bucks made six 3s in the first quarter, the Cavs did them one better with seven in the second to take a 65-57 lead at the half.
While the outside shooting was impressive, Mobley had the most memorable bucket in the half when Garland slipped him a pass on the baseline and Cleveland's big man dunked over Antetokounmpo.
&ldquo;An incredible play,&rdquo; Love said. &ldquo;Those guys are so talented. There's going to be a lot of those plays coming.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Bucks: Milwaukee started 6 of 7 on 3-pointers but finished just 9 of 32. ... G Wesley Matthews (bruised left knee) missed the game. Budenholzer said Matthews stayed in Milwaukee for treatment. He could return for Friday's game or &ldquo;shortly after.&rdquo; ... Budenholzer said he sees the Cavs' confidence growing. &ldquo;They have a belief,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;You can see it and you can feel it.&rdquo;
Cavaliers: G Rajon Rondo became the 14th player to reach 7,500 career assists. ... Garland, Isaac Okoro and backup guard Kevin Pangos all share the same Jan. 26 birthday. At shootaround, the team made Mobley sing happy birthday to the trio. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s got pretty decent vocals,&rdquo; Wade said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;d like to hear him maybe a touch louder.&rdquo; ... Lauri Markkanen (ankle) missed his second straight game and is expected to sit out several weeks.
ALLEN SUSPENSION
Bucks guard Grayson Allen served the one-game league suspension he received for his flagrant-2 foul against Chicago's Alex Caruso, who suffered a fractured right wrist and could miss two months.
Allen traveled with the team and participated in the morning shootaround.
UP NEXT
Bucks: Begin a three-game homestand Friday against New York.
Cavaliers: Visit Detroit on Sunday.

Kevin Love scored 25 points, Cedi Osman added 23 and the Cavs pulled off their most impressive win of the season.

Love scores 25, Cavs make 19 threes and stun champion Bucks

Less than 48 hours ago, yours truly <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/mulling-over-6-options-for-the-cavs-with-ricky-rubio-out-for-the-year" target="_blank" rel="noopener">suggested</a> that the Cleveland Cavaliers shouldn&rsquo;t sit on their hands regarding their vacant backup point guard position following the news of Ricky Rubio&rsquo;s season-ending ACL injury. General manager Koby Altman acted swiftly, entering discussions with the Los Angeles Lakers to acquire veteran set-up man Rajon Rondo on Thursday.
On Friday morning, the Cavs and Lakers struck an agreement, landing the two-time NBA champion in exchange for Denzel Valentine, league sources confirmed to BasketballNews.com. (Editor's Note: The trade expanded on Monday morning, as the New York Knicks jumped in to acquire Valentine.) Cleveland avoided having to give up draft capital or use its JaVale McGee trade exception, which in itself is a win.
Though Altman did not go for one of the five options suggested in Wednesday&rsquo;s article, he wasted no time in addressing one of the most important voids on the team. Going forward with only Kevin Pangos and Isaac Okoro to spell Darius Garland would&rsquo;ve been risky business. Now, in Rondo, Cleveland has a sure thing behind its budding star in regards to organizing the offense.
With that said, there are two sides to every decision, and it&rsquo;ll be intriguing to see which version of Rondo we will see with the Cavs.&nbsp;
You can&rsquo;t question the man&rsquo;s basketball IQ. Despite what we&rsquo;ve seen this season with the Lakers, Rondo is one of the smartest and headiest &ldquo;old-school&rdquo; 1s in the game. The 15-year veteran has the ability to dazzle with his passes and he's been solid in open-floor situations for the majority of his days. Rondo should have a field day with Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley hovering around the rim, while Kevin Love and Lauri Markkanen wait for catch-and-shoot opportunities. And who knows, maybe what Garland has learned off the ball with Rubio can translate in similar fashion with Rondo handling the rock.&nbsp;
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Where this deal could backfire is if Rondo doesn&rsquo;t buy in. ESPN&rsquo;s Adrian Wojnarowski has <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1476949220707995648" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that the 35-year-old is looking forward to joining the upstart Cavs and playing a bigger role; however, there have been times in the past when Rondo has joined a team and refused to buy-in &mdash; at least over the course of a full season. Since spending nine seasons with the Boston Celtics, he has had stints with seven different teams and has been traded midseason three times now.
It takes a level of trust to gain Rondo&rsquo;s trust, it seems. Luckily for the Cavs, they have a Coach of the Year candidate in J.B. Bickerstaff who is clearly quite persuasive considering the team&rsquo;s 20-15 record in the top-half of the Eastern Conference. But even if Cleveland gets Rondo to seamlessly transition into its incredible environment, there are limitations to the veteran&rsquo;s game.
Firstly, he&rsquo;s a step slower. At 35, Rondo doesn&rsquo;t quite have that same agility on either end of the floor. Defensively, he&rsquo;s made his money by gambling for steals with his lengthy arms; staying in front of guys has been more difficult. Fortunately for him, Allen and Mobley will be a safety valve, so maybe he can be more aggressive with ball pressure.
Secondly, Rondo is a streaky type of shooter. Kudos to him on evolving his game to the point where defenses have to at least pay attention to him; with that said, if I&rsquo;m a defender, I&rsquo;m not going to race to close him out with two monsters in the paint and more threatening shooters out on the perimeter.&nbsp;
The Cavs&rsquo; best-case scenario is clear-cut: Garland&rsquo;s minute load stays the same (or likely increases from the 34 he&rsquo;s getting now) and Rondo sees 15-20 minutes of action per contest. The former obviously has a lot of juice and stamina, so he should continue to run the show. The latter should play more of a backup role than Rubio, who soaked up over 28 minutes a night &mdash; both with Garland on and off the floor.&nbsp;
Rondo should slot in as more of a traditional second-unit maestro than as a faux &ldquo;sixth starter&rdquo; type; that&rsquo;s both due to his age and unfamiliarity with this group at the moment. That&rsquo;s okay though, because it will give Garland even more responsibility, which eventually would&rsquo;ve happened anyhow.
Plus, we all know what Rondo&rsquo;s reputation is at this point: It&rsquo;s all about the postseason, &ldquo;Playoff Rondo,&rdquo; a.k.a. when Rajon locks in and truly makes and breaks games. We&rsquo;re just about to break into the New Year, so that is a ways away (and isn&rsquo;t a guarantee for the Cavs &mdash; look at the East and you&rsquo;ll see that), yet experience-wise, it doesn&rsquo;t get much better than that. Particularly, for your young core to learn and get advice from.
Rondo has a knack for making a good first impression on the floor almost everywhere he goes. Can he sustain that level of play? And if things don't go exactly how he envisioned, will he remain engaged? These are the big questions. Attitude will be everything.
The most important aspect of all of this is that Cleveland acted promptly. With a little more than half of a season left to go, the Cavs are hoping that Rondo&rsquo;s impact will at least partly be a solution to the loss of Rubio.

Spencer Davies reacts to the Cleveland Cavaliers trading for Rajon Rondo and how this move will affect the team.

Cavs smartly and swiftly add a point guard, but is Rajon Rondo it?

Following a non-contact injury in Tuesday night&rsquo;s loss at New Orleans, the Cleveland Cavaliers received devastating news on Wednesday afternoon. Ricky Rubio, the anchor of the team&rsquo;s second unit and mentor of many, has suffered a torn ACL in his left knee and will miss the remainder of the 2021-22 season.&nbsp;
Perhaps playing the best basketball of his career and coming off a tremendous run with the Spanish national team in this past summer&rsquo;s Tokyo OIympics, Rubio had averaged 13.3 points and 6.6 assists per game over 34 contests. Even more difficult to swallow, the veteran point guard suffered the ACL tear at the tail-end of a defeat where he nearly registered a triple-double and came close to leading the shorthanded Cavs to a road victory.
Game-in and game-out, Rubio provided Cleveland with an element it didn&rsquo;t have in previous years. Notwithstanding how he shifted the team environment with his selflessness and words of wisdom, he was a playmaker and consistently set guys up with passes inside and out, which set the tone for the wine-and-gold to move the ball at will. He was also aggressive with his own shot-making, averaging a career-high 12.1 attempts a night.
The impact of this injury will be felt with each passing game, especially considering that rising star Darius Garland entered health and safety protocols Tuesday afternoon. You can&rsquo;t overstate how crucial Rubio was to this group, which is why the Cavs must be proactive to fill the void.
No, making a panic trade is not the answer. While rumors of Ben Simmons are enticing to think about in practice, making the money work is too difficult. (Plus, it would require moving Kevin Love, who now is one of two seasoned vets left on the roster; not a good idea.) Not that you can predict these setbacks, but the timing couldn&rsquo;t be worse, as the NBA is currently in the midst of a COVID outbreak that&rsquo;s led to roster shortages. In turn, much of the player pool is limited because all kinds of players are being signed to 10-day hardship exceptions to temporarily combat it.
As it stands, the Cavs have Kevin Pangos and Denzel Valentine as their next-man up ball-handlers. Isaac Okoro got reps in that role at NBA Summer League as well. That said, there&rsquo;s no way they stand pat with what they have, particularly looking at the success they&rsquo;ve had to this point. You&rsquo;re not going to replace Rubio; that doesn&rsquo;t mean you say, "Oh well."
So who can Cleveland go after to soften the blow and keep the momentum going? There&rsquo;s a few names that come to mind.
Jeff Teague, Free Agent 
This might be the easiest route to take. Teague is a free agent and was a part of the Milwaukee Bucks championship run last postseason. He is only 33 years old still, and is capable of making plays for others. He can make the occasional three, yet more importantly, is able to orchestrate, organize an offense and work in the pick-and-roll.
Teague carries plenty of playoff experience, which is an added bonus, and won&rsquo;t be asked to do much defensively due to Cleveland&rsquo;s towering frontcourt. Since Garland is taking off, you&rsquo;re not going to ask Teague to take on starter&rsquo;s minutes. Having an experienced maestro like Teague come in to handle those responsibilities seems pretty logical &mdash; even if he can&rsquo;t replicate Rubio&rsquo;s production.
D.J. Augustin, Houston Rockets 
Option No. 2 for the Cavs could be to scour the market for teams who might be willing to part ways with vets in lieu of their developing talent. Sure, the Houston Rockets are putting D.J. Augustin out there to accelerate the maturation of their young guys too, but maybe Cleveland could muster together a small deal and include a future second-rounder.
Dylan Windler hasn&rsquo;t been in J.B. Bickerstaff&rsquo;s rotation this season as once expected. Could a package of the former first-round pick, Valentine and Pangos <a href="http://www.espn.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=y2l9644o" target="_blank" rel="noopener">do the trick</a>? Augustin is drilling 41.3% of his triples, and would be a welcome addition to the Cavs&rsquo; bench.
Kemba Walker, New York Knicks 
Out of necessity, Kemba Walker is back in the New York Knicks&rsquo; rotation. Hell, he just won Eastern Conference Player of the Week. Considering he just built his trade value back up in the span of 10 days, Cleveland would have to offer up something more significant. There&rsquo;s been plenty of reported interest from the Knicks on Collin Sexton, who&rsquo;s sidelined with a torn meniscus and is a restricted free agent this summer.&nbsp;
Would a one-on-one swap with some draft capital coming back to the Cavs be something to think about in regards to making a long-term move from New York&rsquo;s position? Or could the suddenly sharpshooting Cedi Osman and a future pick be intriguing for the Knicks at the wing position in the short-term? Who knows if Cleveland would be willing to do either for the veteran Walker, who&rsquo;s dealt with injuries recently; or if the Knicks would send him out following this hot stretch. What we do know is Walker can still play the game on the offensive end of the floor, and has plenty left in the tank for this specific role.
Goran Dragic, Toronto Raptors 
Currently dealing with a personal matter, Goran Dragic has appeared in just five games for the Toronto Raptors. His reputation as a lead guard precedes itself, and he&rsquo;s been productive in the past as a more aggressive type of player who draws attention with his rim pressure and outside shooting. However, he probably won&rsquo;t be attainable, as Dragic has a $19.4 million expiring salary. Outside of moving Lauri Markkanen and another player with a small contract, or the injured Rubio, you can&rsquo;t cobble together the right pieces to make a deal work.
Shane Larkin, Anadolu Efes 
The Cavs have already zagged while everybody else has zigged, as Nekias Duncan so eloquently put. Why not reach out to the EuroLeague? Shane Larkin is playing well with Anadolu Efes, averaging 12.8 points and 4.9 assists over 27 games. He&rsquo;s shooting the three at a 35.8% clip too. Larkin has four seasons of NBA experience and is only 29 years old, though he hasn&rsquo;t appeared in an NBA game since May 2018. Per TalkBasket.net, he has <a href="https://www.talkbasket.net/81151-shane-larkin-reportedly-agrees-to-a-contract-extension-with-anadolu-efes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">an out-clause in his current contract</a> should the Association come calling...
Until the Cavs address the loss of Ricky Rubio, they&rsquo;re going to have to play the DHO game with Evan Mobley and, when he returns, Jarrett Allen. Mobley is an exceptional passer and reader of the game, so putting the ball in his hands to run the offense is likely Cleveland&rsquo;s best possibility with not-so-great playmakers in the backcourt.
They&rsquo;re going to depend on their defense to get them through this grueling period, and then what&rsquo;s to come after. Nonetheless, the Cavs can&rsquo;t rest on their laurels with this kind of loss.
Considering these options would be a better idea than doing nothing, and knowing Koby Altman&rsquo;s sense of urgency, he&rsquo;ll have something up his sleeves sooner than later.

Who can Cleveland go after to soften the blow of the Ricky Rubio injury and keep the momentum going? Spencer Davies writes.

Mulling over 5 options for the Cavs with Ricky Rubio out for the year

When I was asked a few months ago about Dinos Trigonis and his Pangos events, I said that it is an absolute necessity for my scouting process, as it gives me the opportunity to get an up-close look at the top high school players in the country. Trigonis does a terrific job putting together showcase events and runs a ton of them now, with the Pangos All-American Camp being the best of them all. I&rsquo;ll be in attendance this year in Las Vegas, and I have the event penciled into my schedule every year.
Not only did I attend the Pangos All-American Camp in June, but I flew to Las Vegas last Sunday morning for the final day of the Pangos All-American Festival to check out Dinos&rsquo; latest showcase event.&nbsp;
It was a quick in-and-out trip for me, but it proved to be fruitful, nonetheless. I was able to get an updated look at some top-rated high school prospects that I already knew like Mookie Cook, Ernest Udeh, Jordan Walsh and Kijani Wright among others. I was also able to see some impressive players that I did not know very well, such as Fabio Basili, Sebastian Mack and Mark Mitchell, just to name a few.
But even though there was an abundance of talent, one player stole the show. Jaxon Kohler of the West team scored 53 points and grabbed 19 rebounds while leading his team to a championship win, and earned MVP honors as a result.
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Prior to Sunday, I had seen Kohler play a number of times in the spring with Team Strive for Greatness, which featured Amari Bailey, arguably the top player in the class of 2022. As an NBA Draft Analyst, I naturally prioritized watching Bailey&rsquo;s team when putting together my scouting schedule. As a result, I was able to become familiar with Kohler, who has not been considered a sure-fire NBA player, like Bailey. My initial thoughts about Kohler were that as a 6-foot-9, 250-pound big man, he was a capable low-post scorer, but was slow and lacked overall athleticism. All in all, I thought he was a nice player &mdash; but from an NBA standpoint, he didn&rsquo;t show me anything to write home about. Not until Sunday, that is...
At the Pangos All-American Festival, I began to understand just how polished Kohler is on the offensive end. He showed an uncanny ability to score on the block, utilizing incredible footwork (an unstoppable drop-step spin move, specifically), great hands and a soft touch over either shoulder. When facing up, he regularly used a mechanical pump fake that worked like a charm nearly every time he used it. He also showed promise to be able to knock down an open shot from the outside. In addition to his scoring abilities, he also utilized his size, motor and physicality to rebound at a high rate.
Needless to say, I was impressed.
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There&rsquo;s a lot to like about Jaxson Kohler as a prospect, but I do still have questions about him as a long-term pro.&nbsp;
The NBA has become increasingly faster and more spread out each year; traditional big men that lack speed and quickness are scrutinized heavily. If and when his time comes, there will undoubtedly be questions circulating among NBA talent evaluators about how well Kohler will translate to the modern-day NBA. The correlation between Kohler&rsquo;s physical development and his long-term success is significant, as strength and conditioning are the keys to him accomplishing his goals, in my opinion. I&rsquo;d suggest that Kohler use Kevin Love and his history with developing and maintaining his body as sources of motivation.
After making stops at Coronado High School in Henderson, Nevada and Wasatch Academy in Mt. Pleasant, Utah, Kohler is set to play at Southern California Academy, in Los Angeles, for his upcoming senior season.&nbsp;
After seeing Kohler&rsquo;s breakout game at the Pangos All-American Festival, one thing is certain, I&rsquo;ll be watching him closely moving forward.

Matt Babcock shares his insights of Jaxon Kohler's performance at the Pangos All-American Festival and his prospects as a pro.

Jaxon Kohler steals the show at the Pangos All-American Festival

Sources maintain there&rsquo;s some interest in oft-injured Denzel Valentine, who is said to be healthy. Svi Mykhailiuk, a career 36.2% 3-point shooter, could give them some minutes. One-dimensional Garrison Matthews is also on the radar.
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Beyond that, the Cavs want a third guard. A source said Kevin Pangos, a 28-year-old EuroLeague stalwart, is garnering interest from Cleveland despite big offers to go back overseas.
Source: <a href="https://www.cleveland.com/cavs/2021/08/larry-nance-jr-trade-free-agent-signing-will-cleveland-cavaliers-do-anything-else-this-offseason.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chris Fedor/Cleveland.com</a>
ANALYSIS:&nbsp;Valentine and Matthews are both unrestricted free agents. A 2016 lottery pick, Valentine averaged 6.5 points and 3.2 rebounds per game in a limited role with Chicago last season. The 24-year-old Matthews profiles as a pure shooter who has made 38.9% of his threes over two seasons with the Wizards.
Pangos has never played in the NBA. But the 6-foot-1 guard did average 13.5 points and 6.6 assists per game for Zenit St. Petersburg last season while shooting 39.0% from long range.&nbsp;
&nbsp;

Valentine and Matthews are both unrestricted free agents this offseason.