The Cleveland Cavaliers fired head coach Tyrone Lue. Their plan of making the playoffs seems to be only a dream now. Only seven games into the season, the Cavs are 1-6 and haven’t looked great. Playoff contention seems impossible, and they have to look for another goal if they don’t want the season to go completely down the drain. Not only did their finals appearances depend on one player, but their playoff contention do too. The absence of LeBron James seemed to have affected the Cavs beyond the court. Team chemistry went to the trash with the front office not giving veterans, like JR Smith, the respect they deserve.
JR is in a tough situation. He barely plays anymore, but he’s stated he wouldn’t demand a trade because of the fans. JR Smith’s a fan favorite in Cleveland, even after game one of the finals. I believe that, if he demands a trade, the city of Cleveland will understand that he wants to play, and he just couldn’t work it out with the organization. A lot of teams like OKC and the Lakers are in need of a shooter. If the Cavs want to trade JR, they could easily find a package for him.
With JR Smith out, the Cavs could still look to trade other players. Kevin Love has been a loyal player for the organization, but the last few years have taught us that loyalty isn’t always mutual. Cleveland re-signed Love during the summer to a four-year $120 million contract. Moving a contract like this is going to be hard. They’ll have to package one guy of the core, and I believe the best option is Jordan Clarkson.
Clarkson is a selfish player that doesn’t work well with other ball-dominant players, and I’d rather trade him over any of the four guys in the core. If the Cavs manage to trade JR and Love without trading Collin Sexton, Cedi Osman, Rodney Hood, or Larry Nance Jr. they can still have a very bright future.
The only thing left to do this season is to tank and draft RJ Barrett or Zion Williamson. At the end of the day, the future of Cleveland will depend on the front office and this season’s moves are key for the future of the team. With a new coach in town, keeping the guys who’ll work hard for every possession is imperative for Cleveland to climb out of the hole left in the post-LeBron era.