State of the Cavaliers Rebuild

There is nothing that divides a fanbase of any professional sports organization quite like a lengthy rebuild. Cleveland sports fans are unfortunately familiar with such endeavors, as the Browns went almost two full decades without a playoff appearance before breaking that streak in 2020.

The Cavaliers have been stuck in the mud since the LeBron 2.0 ended. The front office did not seemingly address a plan with former head coach Ty Lue, as the head man of Cleveland’s lone title was dismissed just six games into 2019, citing a difference in philosophy. Lue was still trying to build around veteran players that played prominent roles during the LeBron years, while the organization was trying to go young. This calls into question the Kevin Love extension, as Love is an older player who has dealt with multiple injuries throughout his career, as well as the John Beilein hire; someone who was completely overmatched by the NBA game, as Cleveland found out less than a full season into his five-year contract.

Love is currently signed until the 2022-23 season, and the Cavs will be hard-pressed to find any potential suitors without attaching a valuable asset or two, something that would not be worth it in the end for a team that lacks top-end talent. While a buyout has yet to be discussed, a few more on-court spats as we saw versus Toronto this season could call for an early end to Love’s time in Cleveland.

Perhaps the most polarizing player involved in this rebuild has been shooting guard Collin Sexton, Cleveland’s lone remaining piece from the trade that sent Kyrie Irving to the Celtics. If one was to peruse Twitter in hopes of finding a discussion related to the Cavs, you would undoubtedly find takes galore regarding the now fourth-year pro. “He is too small, he cannot pass, he does not defend” are three of the main criticisms surrounding the former Alabama product.

Despite the rampant criticism, Sexton had one of the most prolific scoring seasons in Cavs history in 2020-21, pouring in just over 24 points per game, on an effective field goal percentage over 50%. The guard has gotten better each and every year he has been in the league, which gives fans no reason to believe he will not continue to get better as his career goes on.

Some argue that Sexton’s statistical accolades are meaningless without a better team around him. And while the wins have yet to come on a consistent basis, the Cavaliers should be in a position to add another high-profile prospect in this upcoming draft, which is extremely star-studded at the top.¹ If Cleveland is able to strike gold with a top-three or -four selection, there is no reason to believe they will not add another exciting piece to their young core of Sexton, Garland, Okoro, and Allen, one that could potentially turn them into a playoff contender next season.

Lottery luck has been the thing that has evaded the Cavs during this rebuild, along with good health. While the Love extension certainly now looks like a negative, there have been multiple positives, which include Sexton’s growth, Garland’s second year, Okoro’s second half to his rookie year, and the trade that brought Jarrett Allen to Cleveland. Cavaliers fans will be certainly tuned into the upcoming draft lottery in hopes of their team landing a franchise-altering pick in a star-studded draft.The state of the Cavs is certainly in question right now, but much can change in the right direction if they get some lottery luck again.

1. Worth noting that the NBA Draft Lottery is Tuesday, June 22. [↩]