Cleveland Cavaliers Contine To Address Depth Issues By Signing Damyean Dotson, Matthew Dellavedova

After remaining quiet at the start of NBA free agency, things have begun to heat up for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Yesterday, Cleveland signed former Michigan guard Charles Matthews to an Exhibition 10 contract and traded for former Lakers big man JaVale McGee. Today, they signed former Knicks wing Damyean Dotson to a two-year, $4 million deal and veteran guard Matthew Dellavedova to a one-year minimum deal.

The signings and additions the Cavaliers have made so far have addressed quite a few pressing needs on their roster – one of the biggest being depth. After Ante Zizic signed overseas with Maccabi Tel Aviv and Tristan Thompson joined the Boston Celtics, Cleveland needed legitimate depth behind Andre Drummond. With a relatively thin market, Cavaliers general manager Koby Altman elected to make a trade – flipping the non-guaranteed deals of Alfonzo McKinnie and Jordan Bell to obtain McGee and a 2026 second-round pick. McGee, who averaged 7.9 points and 5.1 rebounds, will plug in nicely behind Drummond, provide rim protection and also serve as a lob threat for Cleveland’s younger guards.

Perimeter defense has been something the Cavaliers have sorely needed lately. In the last two seasons, Cleveland has had one of the worst defenses in NBA history and with the league playing from the outside in, it makes sense to finally start addressing the need. They first did so during the 2020 NBA Draft where the team took Auburn forward Isaac Okoro fifth-overall. Due to his God-given gifts, Okoro has the potential to defend every position on the floor in time. But, considering he’s only 19 years old and a rookie, it’s unfair and unrealistic to have those kinds of expectations for Okoro coming right out the gates.

That’s where the Dotson signing becomes key for Cleveland. A second-round pick out of Houston in 2017, Dotson spent the last three seasons with the New York Knicks. Dotson’s best season as a Knick came during the 2018-19 campaign, where he averaged 10.7 points on 41.5% shooting to go along with 3.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists. But, after New York drafted R.J. Barrett, Dotson saw his role diminish with the Knicks and is now looking for a fresh opportunity with Cleveland.

On the court, Dotson’s talent as a catch-and-shoot guy with tight handles is what immediately grabs your attention. But, defensively Dotson has shown projections as a solid positional and man-to-man defender as well to the point where he reminds you of Danny Green when Green was with the San Antonio Spurs. He just needs a better opportunity to showcase those talents – and he found an ideal one with Cleveland. Dotson can act as the in-between for the defensive-first Okoro and the more offensively prone Kevin Porter Jr., Dylan Windler and Cedi Osman. Dotson likely won’t start for the Cavaliers, but he will for sure earn minutes in the team’s rotation.

The team’s other signing in Matthew Dellavedova is another big one for the Cavaliers. Unlike Dotson, Dellavedova is a player that Cleveland is all too familiar with at this point. Dellavedova has been a part of the organization for nearly five seasons and has become a fan favorite for his playmaking and gritty defense. Both of those will be welcome additions to the Cavaliers’ rotation next season, but what he provides off the court is even more invaluable. Dellavedova shared in an exclusive interview last season that he wants to take Collin Sexton and Darius Garland under his wing and help them reach their potential. Bringing him back for another season allows him to keep doing that so the signing makes perfect sense for the Cavaliers.

Running an NBA offense can be challenging, no matter who you are – especially when you’re Cleveland handing the reigns to Sexton and Garland. That’s why retaining Dellavedova is also imperative for the Cavaliers. There will be times when Sexton or Garland’s growing pains will rear their ugly heads and cause Cleveland’s offensive flow to spiral. Having a level-headed veteran in Dellavedova for J.B. Bickerstaff to lean on is a huge boost for the Cavaliers and will likely come in handy a few times next season. Dellavedova can also act as an insurance policy in the event Dante Exum is ever injured as well, which is another bonus.

All in all, the offseason acquisitions made by Cleveland have all been intelligent moves. The Cavaliers were never going to be major players in free agency this year, and they likely knew this. So they instead targeted players that will fit around the edge and bolster their depth through signings or trades. So far, they’ve done that in acquiring McGee, Dotson, and Dellavedova. It remains to be seen if the Cavaliers will make any other signings using their mid-level exception or veteran minimum contracts. But, they will have to be particular though since as of today Cleveland only has one roster spot remaining. Their recent additions make it seem logical to target a stretch-four in the event Kevin Love is traded. Free agent signings like Caleb Swanigan or Skal Labissiere would make sense or Cleveland could guarantee the contract of Dean Wade ($1.5 million) as well.