The Cleveland Cavaliers have already made some key tweaks to their rotation. Lonzo Ball and Larry Nance Jr. will likely emerge as vital additions to Kenny Atkinson’s rotation.
Still, Koby Altman will likely remain on the lookout for potential roster upgrades. After all, Cleveland fell short during the 2025 NBA playoffs, as the Indiana Pacers eliminated them in the second round.
In an August 1 article, Rohan Brahmbhatt of ClutchPoints pinpointed Seth Curry as the missing piece of the Cavaliers puzzle. Curry is currently an unrestricted free agent following a season where he shot 45.6% from the 3-point line for the Charlotte Hornets.
“If there’s one move the Cavaliers can make to complete their roster and raise their floor in the playoffs, it’s signing Seth Curry,” Brahmbhatt wrote. “…For a team like Cleveland, which sometimes stagnates offensively in half-court playoff settings, especially when Mitchell or Garland is trapped, Curry provides crucial off-ball gravity. His mere presence on the wing stretches the floor, opens driving lanes, and gives defenses second thoughts.”
Curry would be a strong addition to Atkinson’s rotation. However, Cleveland could face competition for his services and may not be able to offer a big enough role to entice the veteran sharpshooter.
Cavaliers May Need to Focus on Defense
While additional floor spacers never hurt, John Schuhmann of NBA.com believes the Cavaliers would be better served by shoring up their defense.
“The East is seemingly the Cavs’ to lose, but they need to be just a little bit better defensively, both so they can increase their chances of reaching the Finals and because they can’t count on the shooting being so good for a second straight season,” Schuhmann wrote in his power rankings article.
“…Both Ball and Nance should help them on that end of the floor, with the former also able to get them more opportunities in transition. Ball’s 6.4 pass-ahead passes per game over his career rank second (to James Harden’s 6.7) among all players over the last eight years, according to Second Spectrum tracking.”
Finding a high-level balance between defense and offense is a key principle to contending in the NBA. Ideally, the Cavaliers will want a top-five roster in both offensive and defensive ratings. They fell short in that goal last season, with Cleveland sitting 8th on defense during the regular season.
Cavaliers Front Office Member Pleased With Signings
When speaking to Keith Smith of Spotrac, a member of Cleveland’s front office explained why the franchise is happy with those two new additions.
“It’s hard being a second apron team, but we think we did well to add some talent,” The front office member said. “Thrilled to bring Sam Merrill back. We value his shooting so much. Lonzo (Ball) is really going to help us. He gives us more size and defense in the backcourt, and his passing will be so great for all of our guys.”
The front office member continued.
“Larry (Nance Jr.) is going to really help our frontcourt a lot. He can play either big spot, and that’s huge in a rotation with Evan (Mobley) and Jarrett (Allen). We’re also excited about Tyrese Proctor, too. We think he was a tremendous value pick in the second round.”
Given the Cavaliers’ current salary cap issues as a second apron luxury tax team, and the depth on the current roster, the most logical outcome is the franchise heads into the new season with the current roster intact. Nevertheless, if Curry is available and shows interest in joining Cleveland, they could do far worse than add one of the best catch-and-shoot threats in the NBA.
At the very least, the Cavaliers should remain open to the idea.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Cleveland Cavaliers Urged to Target Elite Free Agent Sharpshooter appeared first on Heavy Sports.