The King’s return to Cleveland led to a complete rebuild of the Cavaliers roster and it certainly paid off as the supporting cast did enough to help LeBron James get to the NBA Finals despite some key injuries to Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving. Cleveland is set for another busy offseason with Love in particular in the spotlight with a player option to opt out and hit free agency. Meanwhile, a relatively strong cast of Central division teams looks to reload for the opportunity to challenge the Cavaliers. Here is a look at the free agency situation for all five teams from the Central division.
Cleveland Cavaliers (53-29)
- UFAs: Shawn Marion, Kendrick Perkins, James Jones
- RFAs: Tristan Thompson, Iman Shumpert, Matthew Dellavedova
- Team/Player Options: Kevin Love, JR Smith, Brendan Haywood
GM David Griffin certainly deserved the GM of the Year award and while he didn’t get it this past season, he will have another opportunity to prove himself this summer as he looks to continue to build a roster around LeBron. Marion, Perkins and Jones are likely gone and Thompson possibly too as he earned himself a big deal. Will he want to re-sign in Cleveland if he’s forced to come off the bench?
Meanwhile, Shumpert and Dellavedova were good enough to bring back – if they agree to return at the right price. Love has already said that he wants to be back with the Cavaliers and with a player option for one more season, he should return. However, until the ink is dry, this won’t be a certainty. The more interesting aspect of this summer will be what else Griffin is able to do to stack this Cavaliers roster for another potential NBA Finals run.
Chicago Bulls (50-32)
- UFAs: Mike Dunleavy, Aaron Brooks, Nazr Mohammed
- RFAs: Jimmy Butler
- Team/Player Options: Kirk Hinrich, E’Twuan Moore, Cameron Bairstow
The Bulls have already made major changes by firing Tom Thibodeau and hiring Fred Hoiberg as his replacement but they have more work to do this summer if they are going to contend with Cleveland both in the division and come playoff time after falling short this past year. The priority will be to get a long-term deal done with Butler, who is restricted. He is going to command a max contract and the question is whether the Bulls will match or not. Beyond that, they need to find a way to improve their roster by upgrading their depth on the open market. If Dunleavy is back, the Bulls really won’t have that much work to do.
Milwaukee Bucks (41-41)
- UFAs: Caron Butler, Shawne Williams
- RFAs: Khris Middleton
- Team/Player Options: Jared Dudley
Milwaukee took a major step forward under head coach Jason Kidd and with Middleton wanting to be back in the mix and the Bucks having the money to afford him, there is every reason to think he’ll return. The team freed up a ton of cap space by trading away Ersan Ilyasova last week and that may mean they are looking to make a splash of some sort – likely on the wings.
Indiana Pacers (38-44)
- UFAs: Luis Scola, Rodney Stuckey, CJ Watson
- RFAs: Chris Copeland, Shayne Wittington
- Team/Player Options: Roy Hibbert, David West
It’s amazing to look back at how quickly things have fallen apart for this Indiana team over the past two years as they went from being considered a legitimate contender in the Eastern Conference to an afterthought that didn’t even make the playoffs. The return of Paul George will help and both Hibbert and West should be back for at least one more year, but that may not be a good thing.
West is in the downside of his career and Hibbert has become an albatross that will have a diminished role. Indiana isn’t as likely to bring back Scola, Stuckey or Watson as they enter the free agent market looking to upgrade their depth after a dramatic fall off this past season without George to help lead the way.
Detroit Pistons (32-50)
- UFAs: Greg Monroe, Tayshuan Prince, Joel Anthony
- RFAs: Reggie Jackson
- Team/Player Options: Cartier Martin, Anthony Tolliver, Quincy Miller
The move to acquire Ilyasova likely means that the Pistons don’t believe they can re-sign Greg Monroe. They’ve been trying for a while and simply haven’t been on the same page in terms of numbers. The next focus will be on Jackson after he proved how good he can be with the Pistons last year. Jackson thrived after being traded from the Oklahoma City Thunder and Detroit should feel desperate to bring him back. He’s restricted, though, so any offer he gets will very likely be matched. Prince could be back at the right price but it’s more likely he gets the veteran minimum to go and try to chase a ring with a contender.
