Factory Of Sadness
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What would the Cleveland Cavaliers do in the event of a league expansion?

By Chad Porto

CLEVELAND, OHIO - FEBRUARY 18: Evan Mobley #4 of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Isaac Okoro #35 of the Cleveland Cavaliers pose for a photo with their medals after winning the 2022 Clorox Rising Stars at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on February 18, 2022 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OHIO - FEBRUARY 18: Evan Mobley #4 of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Isaac Okoro #35 of the Cleveland Cavaliers pose for a photo with their medals after winning the 2022 Clorox Rising Stars at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on February 18, 2022 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /
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CLEVELAND, OHIO – FEBRUARY 24: Lamar Stevens #8 Dylan Windler #9 and Isaac Okoro #35 of the Cleveland Cavaliers celebrate after Windler scored to end the third quarter against the Houston Rockets at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on February 24, 2021 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OHIO – FEBRUARY 24: Lamar Stevens #8 Dylan Windler #9 and Isaac Okoro #35 of the Cleveland Cavaliers celebrate after Windler scored to end the third quarter against the Houston Rockets at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on February 24, 2021 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /

The remaining players

So with that said, who is left? Well, let’s first go through who’s what on this team. Under contract for this season includes Isaac Okoro, Dylan Windler, Dean Wade, and Lamar Stevens.

Brandon Goodwin and Moses Brown have qualifying offer the team can go in on. R.J. Nembhard is on a two-day deal.While, Ed Davis, Tim Frazier, and Rajon Rondo are free agents. For this exercise, anyone that has any type of deal in place, be it a qualifying offer, two-way, or fully guaranteed will be considered the remaining talent from which Seattle and Las Vegas can select.

That means that Davis, Frazier, and Rondo are out.

That means the Cavs have seven potential guys the opposing teams can select. Now, I’m not high on Okoro by any means, however, I 99% believe that neither team would take Love, so if you want to do a bit of gamesmanship, you can gamble on that theory, and leave Love unprotected and protect Okoro if you’re so inclined to.

I don’t think he’s turning into a reliable scorer. He’s a fast break, inside the paint type of scorer, and hasn’t shown much more than that at any point in his career. He isn’t good enough defensively to warrant the offensive vortex he creates. So I’m not keen on protecting him and I don’t think you’re getting more than a second-round pick for him on his own.

So I’m not protecting him.

The rest are pretty self-evident.

The Unprotected: Isaac Okoro, Dylan Windler, Dean Wade, Lamar Stevens, Brandon Goodwin, Moses Brown, R.J. Nembhard 

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