The Cavs just dodged a MAJOR bullet...

The Cavs missed out on LeBron, but is it really that hard of a pill to swallow? In this video, I'll talk about why the Cavs not getting LeBron isn't the worst thing in the world, how LeBron to Philly affects the East, and some other free agents the Cavs can still land. I'm as shocked as anybody that LeBron chose Philadelphia to be his next destination. Personally, I thought he was going to go to Golden State to team up with Steph and Draymond and add in LeBron for one last ride in Golden State for all those guys before they retire. He chose Philadelphia, the team with the best roster to win a championship right now. Before I get into everything, a quick word from their sponsor of this video, PrizePix. PrizePix is America's number one sports picks app and the best way to get in on the action. Use code Digest to sign up today. Now, the first thing I want to look at in this video is LeBron's stats from last season. 41 years old. He's in his, just finished his 23rd season. Going to be his 24th season coming up in Philadelphia, but he's getting things done at such a high level, such a high rate at this point in his career. And let's take a look at some of the numbers. He's averaging, just averaged under 21 points per game. And the two stats that really jump out in my eyes are rebounds and assists. And that's part of the reason Philadelphia went out and acquired LeBron is for his playmaking abilities. Now there's two numbers, two negative numbers that stand out to me here. And the first is the just under 32% three point shooting. LeBron has never been a sniper. He's never been a knockdown shooter in a league where there's guys who make a living by knocking down threes. And that's the only reason they're in the league. LeBron has never been on that level. It has never been a strength of his game by shooting the three ball, but he's a very respectable shooter. But that's not why Philadelphia went out and got him. They went out and got him because he's a floor general. He's a true point guard that can organize all the all-stars that they have on their team right now. The second negative number that stands out to me is the turnovers, but it's LeBron. He's the greatest player of all time, one of the greatest players of all time, depending on where you stand between the Jordan-LeBron debate. But the seven assists to three turnover ratio is not great, but it's LeBron. He brings so much else to the table and you can live with those three turnovers for sure if you're Philadelphia. And LeBron is that guy who can get Jalen Brown, Tyrese Maxey, and Embiid the ball in their spots at the right point in the game. He's a floor general. He's what the Sixers were missing. Now on the flip side for the Cavs, sure they missed out on LeBron, but is that really what the Cavs needed at this point? I think the Cavs need a three and D player, somebody who can lock down the other team's best defender and knock down three-pointers on offense. LeBron at this stage in his career is not going to do that. He's putting less and less effort on the defensive side of the floor just because he's obviously getting older. And the three-point shooting numbers are not up there with some of the top players, some of the top shooters in the league. So I think the Cavs can still, I don't think they're done in this offseason in free agency. They can still go out and sign somebody, but obviously they missed out on LeBron. I don't think it's a big miss. I don't. We had James Harden. We had Donovan Mitchell. Those are guys that you can run the offense through, especially Harden since he's such a playmaker in passing the ball. I know he sold in the playoffs. He did not play at a high level, both shooting and playmaking with all the turnovers that he had. It was rough to watch, but I'm hoping with a full season now, a full regular season upcoming this season under his belt with this Cavs roster, that he'll be a much better player come next postseason. And then obviously Donovan Mitchell, he's a top scorer, a great player. And I'm not sure how LeBron would have fit in with the team that we have now, but there's other free agents out there that the Cavs can still go out and sign. I don't think they're done yet. Now, how does LeBron to Philadelphia affect the East? Obviously it affects the Philadelphia 76ers because they just got LeBron. But my big question here with this team now is, can LeBron and Bede and their whole roster basically stay healthy? And Bede has an injury history. Jalen Brown and Maxie have battled injuries in the past, and obviously LeBron's 41 years old, and he's at a greater risk of injury than at any point in his career. Can these guys stay healthy? How's it all going to work out with four All-Stars in the starting lineup? Now, the Cavs have the opportunity to make their own additions in free agency, obviously. First thing that you have to do if you're Cleveland is re-sign James Harden. Harden, I know he had the turnovers. Harden had terrible field goal percentages in the playoffs, but he got traded in midseason. He had acclimated himself on the fly basically into the starting lineup and with this Cavs team. And I think that with a full regular season under his belt, he'll perform a lot better in the playoffs. I know he has the history, but I think as Cavs fans, we just have to give him a chance because right now with LeBron on Philadelphia, we don't really have a choice right now besides to re-sign Harden, maybe make a few more additions here and there, and run it back basically. Again, with Harden and Mitchell, you have offense. The offense isn't the issue, it's the defense. Let's see if we can bring somebody in who can lock down the other team's best player in a seven-game series in the playoffs. And we kind of missed that when Jalen Brunson torched us and swept us to go to the Finals. But I don't think the Cavs are done yet in free agency. I think priority number one is probably going to get James Harden re-signed. But who else can the Cavs bring in? And I have my eye on two players. The first is Jonathan Kuminga, who got traded last season from the Warriors to the Hawks. And Kuminga came off the bench. He was kind of forgotten about in Golden State. Steve Kerr wouldn't play him for some reason, but he's a great young player. He's still in his early 20s. He's continuing to develop his outside shot, become a better three-point shooter, and he's always been a great defender. That's why he got into the NBA, got drafted, is because he's a great defender. And with the Hawks, he averaged 12 points per game off the bench. He's a really solid contributor, a great player, and I think he could fit in well in Cleveland. He can either come off the bench or start on that wing role for us, be a defender, be a shooter, and just lock down that other team's best player like I was talking about in knockdown threes when Harden or Mitchell Drive kick it out to Kuminga and be a knockdown shooter. We tried to have Dean Wade be that player for us. Dean Wade, an excellent defender, but a terrible shooter. He could not hit a shot to save his life in the playoffs. But he's a terrific defender. That's why Philadelphia signed him too. And I think we just need somebody who's a little bit better offensively in that role, and that would have helped us extremely in the playoffs. Maybe if we had that type of player who could knock down threes and lock down the other team's best player would have helped against the Raptors when they had Scottie Barnes going off every night in that seven-game series. Maybe we could have won it in five or six games instead. And same thing with the Pistons. Tate Cunningham was having 40-point nights against us, and we just need somebody, that player, that missing piece who can stop the other team's best player. And I think Kuminga could be that for us. The other player that I have my eye on in free agency is DeMar DeRozan. Sure, he's 36 years old, and he's been kind of in purgatory, NBA purgatory, his last couple of seasons in Sacramento, and before that Chicago, before that San Antonio when they were bad, the post-Duncan and Parker and Manu years. And now with Wendy, obviously they're back to relevance. But I think DeMar could come to Cleveland and be a great third option, a great third scorer when Mitchell or Harden, when one of them's having an off night, we kind of lack for other offensive scoring. And DeMar DeRozan could be that third weapon, that third option for us. And sure, he's known for his mid-range shot and his great ability to knock down a shot that seems like it's going extinct. But when the game started changing and more players started shooting from outside, more threes and deeper threes, DeMar changes game too. He started adding in more three-point shots and extending his range. He's not a great three-point shooter by any means, but he's a very respectable three-point shooter. And a lot of people don't give him credit for what he's accomplished in his career. Obviously he had those years in Toronto, but since then he's still been getting it done at a high level, averaging 18 points per game. Obviously the mid-range shot is still there, the three-point shot. He's just been on these terrible teams and hasn't had a chance to make the playoffs or make a run at an NBA final since he was with Toronto. I'd like to see him get a chance for a contender and maybe it could be the Cavs. Maybe it could be that third option, that player that the Cavs have been missing. Although DeRozan at 36, he's not a great defender. The Cavs would still be missing that lockdown defender who can guard the other team's best player night in and night out. But with DeRozan, you're getting a very reliable third option. And I think that's something the Cavs have been missing, especially in the postseason that we saw that last season. So DeRozan could come in and be a really solid third option for the Cavs. But as I wrap up this video, a quick word from our sponsor, PrizePix. This video is sponsored by PrizePix. Use the link in the description and code DIGEST to get started on PrizePix today. Now that the Cavs missed out on LeBron, he's off the market to Philadelphia, who can the Cavs still add? Who do you want to see the Cavs add to this roster? DeMar DeRozan, like I talked about, or Jonathan Kaminga, or somebody else entirely. But to stay updated with all of the Cavs offseason news and free agent signings, make sure you subscribe to Cavs Digest for the latest news. Go Cavs! And until next time.