Cleveland Cavaliers Urged to Pursue 12-Time All-Star in NBA Free Agency

The Cleveland Cavaliers have had a relatively quiet offseason so far. After flaming out of the playoffs with an early exit for the third year in a row, some were expecting this team to make some major changes over the summer. That hasn't been the case.

The Houston Rockets completed a massive deal to add All-World scorer and future NBA Hall-of-Fame lock Kevin Durant to a roster coming off a second-seeded finish in the Western Conference. The Denver Nuggets have revitalized their personnel around Nikola Jokic, making major strides toward returning to true contender status after falling short of the Conference Finals two years in a row since they won it all in 2023. Meanwhile, the Cavaliers have done virtually nothing to meaningfully upgrade a roster that hasn't sniffed a Finals.

Cleveland's moves this offseason consist of trading Isaac Okoro to the Chicago Bulls for Lonzo Ball, re-signing Sam Merrill to a four-year, $38 million contract, and adding Larry Nance Jr. on a one-year deal. Acquiring Ball and Nance Jr. on the margins for a team that just won 64 games might sound like a slam-dunk summer, but the former has only played 70 games in the last four years, and the latter couldn't crack the rotation for the Atlanta Hawks.

Needless to say, the Cavaliers could still use a little more reliable depth for next season. But there's still time for them to do so in free agency. ESPN Cleveland's Aaron Goldhammer believes that they should go after a legendary point guard who's still available on the open market.

"I know he has never won an NBA title, but [Chris Paul] understands what it takes to fight. One of the things that he is most known for is being — what Charles Barkley calls him — the best leader in the NBA."

At 39 years old last season, Chris Paul played in all 82 games for the San Antonio Spurs and averaged a respectable 8.8 points and 7.4 assists in 28 minutes a night, while shooting 43 percent from the field and 38 percent from deep. He'd be a great option to take over Jerome's role for the Cavs, acting as a seamless understudy to Darius Garland and offensive floor general off the bench. Cleveland would be a great spot for Paul as a mentor to Garland, Donovan Mitchell, and Lonzo Ball, while also offering him an opportunity to meaningfully contribute to a team with legitimate title aspirations.