LeBron James’ time with the Cleveland Cavaliers was marked by immense success. He led the Cavs to their first-ever NBA title in 2016, solidifying his legacy as one of the greatest basketball players of all time. His departure to join the Lakers in 2018 left a significant void in the Cavaliers’ roster and leadership.
However, the Cavaliers have been hard at work rebuilding their team and developing young talent. Over the years, they have acquired promising players through the NBA Draft and trades. Meanwhile, this off-season, the Cavaliers are aiming to lock Lakers’ top free agency target, which might hinder LeBron James’ chances of winning his fifth NBA ring.
Cleveland Cavaliers Interested In Lakers’ Top Target Christian Wood!
Los Angeles Lakers have had a blockbuster off-season so far. They have retained most of their roster from the last season, which led the team to conference finals. The general manager, Rob Pelinka, who mapped the deals, has immense faith in the roster. However, the purple and gold still have two final roster spots to fill. For that, their ideal candidate is Dallas Mavericks center Christian Woods. The team intends to add a center to support Anthony Davis. Hence, Wood remains the only high-end center candidate in the market. However, the Laker’s top man, LeBron James’ former team, Cleveland Cavaliers, is looking to disrupt Hollywood’s plans.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have been in a rebuilding phase for a while and hence want high-end players to boost the roster. Meanwhile, as per Cavs reporter Chris Fedor, the team has shown interest in landing Christian Wood, PJ Washington, and Kelly Oubre in the free agency. However, just like the Lakers, the Cavs, too, will face financial restrictions. As per the luxury tax threshold, they have only $3.3 million for use. And a veteran like Wood isn’t settling for such a lower contract. Speaking of LA, they also have some financial issues. But at the end of the day, they are Lakers, a team filled with notable players and a chance at winning a title. This might be enough to lure the center towards Los Angeles. Ultimately, only time will tell where Christian Woods eventually ends up.
NBA Executives Deliver Their Verdict On LA’s Free Agency Moves So Far!
In just two weeks since the off-season kicked off, the Los Angeles Lakers have almost locked in their roster for the next season. Barring two spots, the rest 13 places are filled. Unlike earlier trends, this year, the team chose to stay away from making expensive deals during free agency. They instead chose to keep the core from last season intact while making a few additional sign-ins to strengthen the bench. Meanwhile, Dan Woike of the LA Times recently conducted a survey among a group of top NBA executives to understand their perspective on the team’s off-season moves.
Dan Woike wrote in his article that most of the NBA executives ranked the Lakers’ free agency moves between “pretty good” and “great.” He added that some participants hailed the team for signing Gabe Vincent as they feel he is “the perfect point guard to play alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis.” A few others also believed that the team retained Austin Reaves in a steal deal, as his market value was estimated to be a lot more than $56 million. Regardless, overall, the moves made by LA so far remain not too far from excellent.
