The Cleveland Cavaliers were forced to wait until July 24, only to learn that LeBron James picked the Philadelphia 76ers in free agency. The King made his choice on Friday, leaving the Cavs to pick up the pieces of their broken dream. Cleveland knew this was a possibility, of course. There was always more than one team in the running for him.
Harden Can’t Get Away Now
Because James had the NBA on hold while he made up his mind, the Cavs couldn’t really do anything else. In the meantime, a lot of other free agents signed. Now, with LeBron gone, the first and most obvious piece of business is getting James Harden signed. Harden was always planning to come back, but he hadn’t inked his contract yet. The Cavs wanted to make sure they had the money available for James, just in case he returned to Cleveland. That waiting game is over. The Cavaliers simply cannot let Harden get away now.
Kuminga: The Best Consolation Prize
Next up, it’s not a given, but it’s totally logical: sign Jonathan Kuminga. The former Warriors and Hawks forward can absolutely fill those forward minutes that would’ve otherwise gone to LeBron. He’s still young, he’s got upside, even if some teams around the league view him a little negatively. Kuminga is the best consolation prize the Cavs could get at this point. It’s worth trying to get a deal done with him as soon as humanly possible.
Nothing is going to feel like landing LeBron, we all know that. But now that the waiting game is finally over, Cleveland has to spring into action. They’ve got to make these moves to solidify their roster and get their season on track.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
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