Cleveland

Cavaliers

Tyson, the 20th overall pick in last month’s draft, shot the ball well for a second consecutive game in Las Vegas. After scoring 15 points on 7-of-14 shooting in his summer debut on Friday, the former Cal standout produced another 50% effort from the field. Another positive for the Cavaliers has been Tyson’s rebounding, as he’s up to 15 boards in two games. Even with the moves made before last season, Cleveland still needed to upgrade its wing rotation, and the hope is that Tyson will be the answer.

Bates and the Cavaliers got off to a hot start and did not look back, rebounding from their opening night loss in impressive fashion. After spending last season on a two-way contract, Bates was issued a qualifying two-way offer, making him a restricted free agent. The 20-year-old wing offers solid upside, and continuing to play well in Las Vegas will go a long way toward securing his NBA future.

This isn’t a surprising update, considering Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer reported the likelihood of this extension in mid-June. According to Woj, “A significant part of Mitchell’s belief in committing on a new deal comes with his confidence in Koby Altman’s vision to keep building the Cavs into a championship contender and an alignment on their partnership together.” Mitchell and Co. have had back-to-back playoff disappointments, most recently due to several key injuries. A healthy Cleveland team should be a perennial playoff team, but how far the team can go is in question based on recent moves from New York and Philadelphia to bolster their respective rosters.

Burns isn’t getting a contract from the Cavs, but he will have an opportunity to earn one if he plays well. He averaged 12.9 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.9 assists last season and helped guide NC State to the Final Four. He had two big performances during that run, which led to him being one of the hottest names in college basketball. The 6'9" big man has reportedly slimmed down to be able to play in the NBA, but even if he does earn a contract this summer, he will likely spend more time in the G-League.

Tyson played for three different schools during his three years in college. He barely saw the floor at Texas, but he was far more effective at Texas Tech as a sophomore. However, he truly broke out at Cal, where he averaged 19.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.6 triples per game last season. He evolved from just a 3-and-D prospect by showing some shot creation for both himself and his teammates at Cal, though he’ll have to be more efficient with the ball (3.1 turnovers per game last year) if he wants to do that in the NBA. He’ll at least be able to provide some two-way value off the bench for Cleveland in year one, though he may not be asked to do much more. He could do more self-creation in the future, but on a playoff team like the Cavs, he likely won’t have the ball in his hands enough to make a statistical impact as a rookie.

Mitchell can sign an extension this summer, and Cleveland must get something done. Given how much the franchise gave up in acquiring him from the Jazz in 2022, the last thing the Cavaliers need is to have Mitchell going into the final season of his contract without a deal. According to Fischer, the feeling across the league is that the two sides will get something done, locking in Mitchell as a cornerstone for a team that hopes to contend in the East.

While the team is still searching for a new head coach, there have also been questions regarding constructing the Cavaliers’ roster for next season. There has reportedly been interest in Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen, but according to Fischer, the team has no plans to move anyone. That “core four” includes Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley, with the latter flourishing while Allen was sidelined during the postseason with a rib injury. The fantasy ceilings of Garland, Allen, and Mobley were limited this season, and that likely remains the case in 2024-25 if Cleveland sticks with the same starting lineup.

Strus didn’t have a good night shooting the basketball, but the overall line was solid for DFS players who may have slotted him into their lineups. The nine assists were a postseason high for the Cavaliers wing, who was asked to take on additional offensive responsibilities with Donovan Mitchell and Caris LeVert unavailable. Based on his Yahoo ADP, Strus was expected to provide late-round value this season, and that’s precisely what he did. Starting 70 games during the regular season, Strus established career-high averages in points (12.2), rebounds (4.8), assists (4.0), steals (0.9), and blocks (0.4). The best way for Strus to threaten top 100 status would be to improve the field-goal percentage, as he shot just 41.8% in 2023-24.

Boston eliminated Cleveland in five games, an unsurprising outcome given the Cavaliers’ many injuries. What was incredibly disappointing about Game 5 was Garland’s performance. After scoring 30 points and dishing out seven assists in Game 4, he shot 4-of-17 from the field and missed all four of his 3-point attempts. As with Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley, injuries were a significant factor for Garland, as he was limited to 57 regular-season games. While his value in 8-cat formats wasn’t far from his Yahoo ADP (40.3), he failed to crack the top 100 in 9-cat. Selecting Garland within the top 50 of standard league drafts wouldn’t be a bad idea, but fantasy managers can’t be blamed if they decide to look elsewhere next fall.

With Donovan Mitchell, Jarrett Allen, and Caris LeVert sidelined, the Cavaliers needed additional scoring from someone. Enter Morris, who went off for a season-high 25 points. To say this was a departure from the norm for the veteran center would be an understatement; he scored 30 points total during the regular season and reached double figures once during the postseason (Game 5 against Orlando). Morris will be a free agent this summer, and his days as a reliable fantasy option are in the rear-view mirror.