Cavs: 3 players Koby Altman let get away that forced the long rebuild

Jae Crowder

Jae Crowder came over in a trade with the Boston Celtics that saw Cleveland give up Kyrie Irving for Isaiah Thomas, Ante Zizic, the pick that became Collin Sexton, a second-round draft pick, and of course Crowder.

The do-it-all forward has found himself a desirable piece of many teams over the last few years and even helped the Miami Heat get to the NBA Finals in 2020. His offensive stats aren’t all that impressive, but his ability to play defense and use his size to force guys out off the block is invaluable.

He’ll average around 10 points for you, grab you five boards, and play lights out defense against the team’s best players. Considering he’s not a huge guy, you’d think he’d be limited where he can play, but Crowder is a strong guy and can force bigger players off the block down under the rim, or smother a wing player with his massive wingspan. He’s not a guy you build a team around, but if you’re building a team, he’s the first-non scorer you think of.

Crowder being on the team would’ve made Kevin Love expendable, and maybe the Cavs would have opted to let Love walk, or at the very least not given him $100 million. It’s also possible that they kept Love and had Crowder play next to him. While centers in the modern NBA need to be defensive-minded, it’s not crazy to think the Cavs would run Crowder at power forward and Love at center if it meant getting Crowder on the court.

What makes Crowder so intriguing as a guy the Cavs should’ve retained is the fact that he brings a different energy. If the NBA had fullbacks, Crowder would be just that. He’s aggressive, strong, and unrelenting. The kind of guy that makes your team harder to beat.