Four players on the roster who’ve likely played their games for the Cleveland Cavaliers as the coronavirus halted the 2019-2020 season.
The NBA hasn’t given up plans to cancel the rest of the 2019-2020 seasons and various reports indicate the league is still looking into ways to resume play at some point.
It doesn’t seem to make sense the regular season will continue though, because normally, the NBA would be commencing with its tournament at this time of year.
Perhaps the league will push back its calendar in order to conduct the playoffs, but maybe not. We just don’t know at this point.
And while uncertainty lingers over when sports will return, and how the various leagues will resume their respective schedules, it seems unlikely the Cleveland Cavaliers will resume their season.
And since the Cavs owned the second-to-worst record in the league, there won’t be a playoff appearance, even if the legue gets the playoffs going.
Keeping that in mind, the team’s roster could look dramatically different when the 2020-2021 season finally commences, as these four players have likely played their last game in a Cavs uniform.
1. Tristan Thompson
The extension Tristan Thompson signed five years ago, for $82 million will come to an end, when this season is eventually declared as being over.
There’s rumors the NBA is trying to figure out a way to play in arenas without fans, but that remains to be seen.
Thompson was drafted as the fourth pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, three spots behind Kyrie Irving. While never an All-Star, Thompson became a significant contributor on those Cavs’ squads that made four straight Finals’ appearances.
There were rumors he’d be dealt before February’s trade deadline, and frankly, it was a surprise to see him stick around.
He’ll leave Cleveland as one of the franchise’s all-time greats and an offensive rebounding maven, and he’s the rare Cleveland athlete who can call himself a champion.
2. Kevin Love
The race is on. Who gets traded first?, Kevin Love or Odell Beckham? Both have been traded in the media about 100 times since they first arrived in Cleveland.
While there’s no new rumor linking Cleveland’s stretch-4 anywhere, new, it just seems like this is the time to move him.
Things seemed to get better after JB Bickerstaff replaced John Beilein, but few will forget that Love was cranky for the better part of the season and grew visibly upset with the on-court play of his younger teammates.
When play resumes, the Cavs will still be a long way from contending for the playoffs, and it just doesn’t seem like something Love will be a part of.
As everyone expected, there were rumors swirling around Love during February’s trade deadline, but it was reported the Cavs weren’t getting the type of offers they thought they should be getting for their All-Star caliber playing.
With three years and $90 million remaining on his deal, it’s unlikely a team is going to give up much to get Love, and it’s ultimately a tough pill the Cavs will have to swallow.
3. Delly
It was great to have him back, but like Thompson, Delly will be an unrestricted free agent and it doesn’t seem likely the Cavs will bring him back.
Delly’s a six-year vet who can call himself an NBA champ as part of the 2016 squad, and while he conjures up great memories, it was really hard to watch him at times this year.
Delly was shooting an ugly 23 percent from 3-point range. That said, there were a lot of times it was easier to watch him log minutes in the backcourt when either Sexton or Gardland were on the bench. Delly wasn’t looking to fill up his scoring column, and having in a veteran in there proved to be a big difference for the offense.
Where Delly goes from here remains unclear, but it’s been one heck of a run. He worked his way onto the Cavs by way of a legendary work ethic, then he got to hang around and contribute on the aforementioned title run.
His legend grew as he once pounded coffee ahead of a Finals game in 2015, and one’s things for sure: He’ll never have to buy a cup of joe for the rest of his life in northeast Ohio.
4. Ante Zizic
Next to the Brooklyn pick which became Collin Sexton, Ante Zizic is one of the last links to the trade that shipped Kyrie Irving to the Boston Celtics and he’ll be a free agent at season’s end.
Zizic is only 23, but he’s a dying breed in the NBA, meaning he’s a center who can’t contribute from the perimeter. The Cavs already have one of those in Andre Drummond, who is likely to opt into his $28 million contract for next season.
Fans wanted to see more of Zizic after he arrived, as he shot 73 percent from the field during the 2017-2018 season. Keep in mind, though, he was playing a tick over six minutes per night, while attempting about two shots per game. Still, it was an intriguing stat, but it leveled out, as Zizic is shot around the mid-50s the past two seasons, with most of his attempts coming from close proximity to the basket.
Zizic’s most productive season came a year ago, when he averaged about 18 minutes per night. He averaged 7.8 points and 5.4 rebounds. As for this year, his minutes dipped under John Beilein, as he was only seeing on average, 10 minutes of floor time per night.
Since he won’t cost a lot, there’s always the chance Cleveland could retain him, but it just seems unlikely at this point.