{"id":715261,"date":"2026-06-20T09:32:21","date_gmt":"2026-06-20T09:32:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/715261\/"},"modified":"2026-06-20T09:32:21","modified_gmt":"2026-06-20T09:32:21","slug":"the-cavs-should-consolidate-one-of-their-three-point-specalists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/715261\/","title":{"rendered":"The Cavs should consolidate one of their three-point specalists"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Cleveland Cavaliers<\/a> have some tough decisions to make this summer. Anything they choose to do will come with a risk. From making another blockbuster trade to simply running back the same squad. The latter feels like something they can\u2019t afford to do.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s because reality has caught up with the Cavs. They\u2019ve built this roster on speciality players that fill specific roles. And while the rest of the NBA is thriving on versatility, Cleveland\u2019s Jenga Tower of one-dimensional skillsets is starting to teeter.<\/p>\n

You can dissect the roster and find overlapping talents at every position. Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley share the frontcourt. James Harden and Donovan Mitchell dominate the backcourt. There isn\u2019t a whole lot that separates those duos from their counterpart.<\/p>\n

The stars of this team aren\u2019t multifaceted. Neither is the supporting cast. They\u2019re a layered collective that looks to be greater than the sum of its parts. That can lead to wonderful things when everything is going right. But relying on that many moving pieces is nearly impossible.<\/p>\n

The Cavs need to consolidate.<\/p>\n

And since all indicators suggest that the front office is committed to the core four, that turns our eyes to the supporting cast. Flipping one of their three-point specialists for a player of greater variety could help them find long-term solutions in the playoffs.<\/p>\n

Max Strus and Sam Merrill come to mind.<\/p>\n

Now, I want to be clear. Both Merrill and Strus have been positive contributors. This is not meant to be a knock on either of them. They are fantastic role players to have on your squad, and you can never have enough shooting. Parting with them isn\u2019t easy.<\/p>\n

But a team that lacks size and athleticism can not continue to overindex on two three-point specialists who play the same position (even if they\u2019ve refined other aspects of their game).<\/p>\n

Look at the teams that have made it to the Finals this decade. You\u2019ll see a clear pattern of length and mobility on the wing. Switchability and versatility enable them to meet any challenge thrown their way. They have players who can provide a counter option when the three-point shot isn\u2019t falling. Cleveland doesn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

The Cavaliers\u2019 front office hasn\u2019t successfully added those types of players this decade. That\u2019s not Merrill or Strus\u2019s fault, but moving one of them might offer the clearest path towards finally addressing that this summer.<\/p>\n

Of course, this is easier said than done.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s one thing for me to tell you the Cavs need to upgrade at a specific position. It\u2019s another thing to actually suggest a realistic deal that will appease both sides. That\u2019s why I\u2019m a blogger, not a GM. I can point out flaws better than I can fix \u2018em.<\/p>\n

Still, the Cavs should have a clear goal this offseason: get more athletic and versatile. That likely comes with the difficult decision to part with one of their more helpful role players. Making the tough choice should result in a deeper roster that has more answers to problems that can emerge in the playoffs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Cleveland Cavaliers have some tough decisions to make this summer. Anything they choose to do will come…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":715262,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[64],"tags":[48013,355,99],"class_list":["post-715261","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nba","tag-cavs-analysis","tag-nba","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/715261","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=715261"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/715261\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/715262"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=715261"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=715261"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=715261"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}