2018-2019 Record                 Home Record               Road Record

         19-63                                     13-28                            6-35

2019-2020 Record                 Home Record               Road Record

         19-46                                     11-25                            8-21

Fun Facts for the season

-After signing a five-year, $20M contact that included a team option for the fifth season before the start of the 2019-20 season, John Beilein became the shortest tenured coach since the 2004 season and is tied for the third shortest coaching stint since the 1990 season after only lasting 54 games before he and the team decided to part ways (Beilein and the organization negotiated a settlement that remains undisclosed)

-The Cavs have not had a winning season without LeBron James since the 1997-98 season and have not gotten out of the first round of the playoffs without LeBron since the 1992-93 season when they lost to Michael Jordan’s Bulls in the Eastern Conference Semifinals

-The Cavs had three bigs who finished inside the top-100 in terms of total value in 8/9-cat leagues while they finished with four bigs who produced standard league value on the season: Andre Drummond, Kevin Love, Larry Nance Jr. and Tristan Thompson

-Collin Sexton turned around his season from a fantasy perspective after the All-Star break, producing 4th/7th round per-game value in 11 games while he was on track to produce 8th/11th round per-game value in 54 games prior to the break

-The Cavs have three players on their roster whose fathers played in the NBA: Kevin Love, Darius Garland and Larry Nance Jr. (Larry Nance Sr. played for the Cavs from 1988-1994)

For a closer look at how the season has gone, be sure to check out our Season So Far series. The Cavs’ entry can be found right here.

Rosterable in 12-team 8/9-cat leagues (per-game value)

-Andre Drummond (2nd round/3rd round)

-Kevin Love (5th round/5th round)

-Collin Sexton (7th round/9th round)

-Larry Nance Jr. (9th round/7th round)

Showed flashes of fantasy value in 12-team 8/9-cat leagues (per-game value)

-Tristan Thompson (12th round/14th round)

-Kevin Porter Jr. (12th round/15th round from January 28 through March 2)

Rosterable in standard points leagues

(This is Yahoo’s standard scoring system, we’ll be using them as a reference for the rankings but obviously things will be different in your league if you use a custom scoring format or play on ESPN/CBS/Fantrax.)

-Andre Drummond (2nd round)

-Kevin Love (4th round)

-Tristan Thompson (8th round)

-Larry Nance Jr. (9th round)

-Collin Sexton (10th round)

Flashes of value in standard points leagues:

-Kevin Porter Jr. (13th round value in last 30 days of season)

-Cedi Osman (12th round value in last 30 days of season)

Predicting standard league relevant players for 2020-21 season

-Andre Drummond (all formats)

-Kevin Love (all formats)

-Collin Sexton (all formats)

-Larry Nance Jr. (all formats)

Potential for standard league value for 2020-21 season

-Kevin Porter Jr. (all formats)

-Darius Garland (all formats)

-Tristan Thompson (8-cat, points leagues)

Upcoming Notable Free Agents

-Andre Drummond (player option of $28.75M for 2020-21 season)

-Tristan Thompson (unrestricted)

Key Additions

-Andre Drummond (acquired via trade)

-Dante Exum (acquired via trade)

Key Departures

-Jordan Clarkson (traded to Jazz)

-John Henson (traded to Pistons)

-Brandon Knight (traded to Pistons)

Upcoming Draft Picks

-2020 first round pick (protected top 10)

-2021 first round pick

-2022 first round pick (via Milwaukee, protected top 10; if not conveyed in 2022, becomes protected top 10 and 25-30 in 2023; if not conveyed in 2023, becomes protected top 8 in 2024; if not conveyed in 2024, becomes 2024 and 2025 second round picks)

-2022 second round pick (via Houston)

-2022 second round pick (via San Antonio)

-2022 second round pick (via Washington)

But it hasn’t been a typical rebuilding year by any means. We’ve seen the Cavs deal with malcontents, a new coach that didn’t last long and multiple trades. If you squint hard enough, there may be some young building blocks, but the team will probably need to hit on another high pick in the 2020 NBA Draft in order to take the next step.

Beilein’s Brief Gig

Longtime Michigan Wolverines coach John Beilein headed south to Cleveland last offseason to lead the Cavs, signing a five-year deal. After just 54 games (14-40) that included locker room controversy (“slugs”? really?) and plenty of uninspiring play, Beilein was out at the All-Star break.

Enter J.B. Bickerstaff. For the third time in six seasons, he takes over a team midseason. Early returns are positive, as the Cavs are 5-6 with him at the helm. And it may just be the infatuation stage of having a new head coach, but many players are upbeat and optimistic about this first stretch with Bickerstaff, who has already been signed to a multi-year deal.

What should we expect from a Cavs team led by the new guy? He’s emphasizing unselfishness and competitiveness. And it’s hard to know exactly how individual players will react to the change since many players have been in and out of the lineup due to injury or rest during his 11 games. And that’s a lineup that wasn’t even settled when Bickerstaff was promoted due to a sizable move at the trade deadline. There is hope that the young Cavs might be in a decent situation to grow with a young head coach that has greatly improved the team atmosphere.

Drummond Acquisition

The Cavs made a minor deal on Christmas Eve, swapping Jordan Clarkson for Dante Exum. As far as the trade’s on-court impact, it mainly opened up some backcourt minutes and shots. Not a game changer, but it was a good move for a rebuilder, as they picked up two second-round picks for a veteran that wasn’t part of their future.

However, the other Cavs trade this season was a deadline blockbuster of sorts. Well, half of the deal was of the blockbuster variety, as the Cavs acquired a still-just-26-year-old Andre Drummond without sending much of anything back.

Drummond was a breakout fantasy star early this season due to another increase in his free throw percentage and slight jumps in assists and steals. He put up stats like a first-rounder for much of the first half of the season before reverting back to his poor shooting from the stripe. Will Drummond return to a must-punt-free-throw guy once again, or is there hope that he can finally keep the percentage over 60% for the rest of his career? If the beginning of his Cavs career tells us anything, it’s looking like the former.

The eighth-year big man has seemed unhappy in Cleveland so far. And while he’s had some strong games and launched a few 3-pointers, he’s been very inconsistent and the numbers are down overall. This could simply be the signs of a player trying to fit in with a team full of established big men, not to mention a team that swapped head coaches two games after he arrived. Drummond also sat out for five of the Cavs’ 13 games since he was acquired, so there have been some injury concerns as well.

Drummond is understandably expected to opt into the final year of his deal next season (worth nearly $29M), however it’s no sure thing, as a few playoff teams were rumored to be in on Drummond at the deadline and could offer him a more lucrative longer-term deal. And he just might want to remove himself from such a…

Glut of Big Men

Fantasy enthusiasts that have rostered any Cavaliers power forward or center this season know that this situation has been a headache when it’s come to projecting which players will play consistent nightly minutes. In addition to Andre Drummond, the logjam includes these fantasy contributors:

Kevin Love, who still doesn’t appear to be going anywhere for a while with the three years left on his deal. Hopefully he enjoys playing for Bickerstaff more than he did for Beilein, though it was the young guards that appeared to be the source of his frustration earlier this season. He may be able to continue his 17 points, 10 boards and a pair of threes with good free throw shooting for a few more years, but that’s only good for mid-round production. And that’s when he’s healthy.

Tristan Thompson, who started off the season on fire before predictably burning out. His deal is up at the end of the season, and it sounds like he’ll find his way onto a contender. But he’s unlikely to have a role as big as he’s had recently in Cleveland.

Larry Nance Jr., an efficient player that so many have wanted to see in a larger role for years. He was buried on the depth chart and nicked up for much of the season. But even with Drummond in town, Nance has found his stride and even a good chunk of minutes lately.

And that’s leaving out the departed John Henson and the limited Ante Zizic, who could be gone next season, too. Ideally for fantasy, we’d see Drummond, Love and Nance each get 32 minutes next season. And maybe injuries and rest will lead to those three plus Thompson all playing in that range down the stretch.

Sexton’s Eventual Leap

Collin Sexton had a disappointing season to begin his NBA career, at least from a fantasy perspective. Outside of a decent point total and free throw percentage, he was much worse than what you could find in the free agent pool. And that was still true for the first few months of this season as the Cavs let Darius Garland handle the ball quite a bit.

Some had once had hopes that Sexton could turn into a Donovan Mitchell type as matching relentless 6’1″ athletic competitors. But the prospect of Sexton reaching that level was looking grim. Personally, I thought Sexton had a chance to eventually hit the C.J. McCollum level (just a click below Mitchell), at least when it came to fantasy stats.

Well, Sexton is now well on his way to matching McCollum’s numbers sooner rather than later. But more than that, Sexton started taking off right around January 1st… and check this out:

Sexton has, at least temporarily, reached Donovan Mitchell territory. Field goal percentage is where he’s really got the advantage on Mitchell and McCollum. And that’s probably not sustainable, but this sample does cover nearly half a season, so there’s certainly reason for hope that he can keep it closer to 50 percent than 40 percent. At age 21, there’s suddenly a path for Sexton to become a reliable mid-round 2 guard after looking like a bust for over two seasons.

Rookie Performances

The Cavaliers came out of the 2019 NBA Draft with three first-round picks: Darius Garland (5th), Dylan Winder (26th) and Kevin Porter Jr. (30th).

Windler hasn’t played a game for the Cavs due to injury and his season is done after undergoing season-ending surgery in January to repair a stress reaction in his lower left leg. He played just 37 minutes over two games in the G League. (Extensive and intense practices under Beilein during training camp and Summer League have been mentioned in passing whenever Windler’s injury comes up, though we’ll stop short of connecting those dots completely.)

Darius Garland was a 19-year-old relative unknown for a top pick coming into his rookie year after having played in just five games at Vanderbilt, so it’s completely understandable that he’s struggled to run an NBA offense. But the 59 starts he’s had so far have been sharpening his skills, and there have been flashes here and there. Depending on what the Cavs do in the next draft, Garland could be in a position to make a sizeable leap into fantasy relevance next season.

That brings us to the exciting one. Kevin Porter Jr. fell in the draft due to off-court issues and the Cavs scooped him up, making what could be the biggest value selection in that draft. Just as the Clarkson trade opened up some additional time for Porter and he got into a bit of a rhythm, he suffered a knee injury and missed most of January. However, once he returned, Porter had some eye-catching games, including a 30-point game with four triples and three steals. The minutes still weren’t always consistent, but the breakout was definitely in full swing until he got concussed on March 4th. Look for Porter to be a fantasy draft darling next season as he looks for a more solid role with this young team looking for building blocks.

The Cavs swooped in to acquire Andre Drummond, a 26-year-old with two All-Star selections under his belt, in exchange for Brandon Knight, John Henson and a second-round pick in 2023.

From afar, Cleveland seems like one of the least sensible destinations for Drummond. They were unable to trade Kevin Love or Tristan Thompson, leaving the frontcourt full of expensive players, while potential Love-or-Thompson replacement Larry Nance Jr. waits in the wings. One of the league’s true dregs staring down the barrel of a long and painful rebuild, it was a stunner that the Cavs would step in to acquire one of the league’s more credible win-now additions.

And yet, in the end, the Cavs paid a pittance to find out if Drummond can be a part of the solution. They may not learn anything about the direction of their team as a result of this move but it cost them almost nothing to find out for sure.

Drummond’s reported desire to decline his player option (for $28.7 million) spurred the Pistons to hit the trade market, as something figured to be better than nothing in terms of return as Drummond walked out the door. If Detroit really wanted Drummond back, they had every opportunity to do so, and it was obvious that they had no interest in forking over the type of money that Drummond had in mind for himself.

The Cavs have a lot of things to work on, and with Thompson reportedly preferring a trade that never came, it seems highly likely that they would’ve needed to find a new starting center next summer. They have copious cap space but little to entice prospective free agents besides potential overpayments or big-minute roles for players who are starved for opportunity.

Despite legitimate questions about Drummond’s actual impact on winning, he fits neither of those categories. In acquiring him now, Cleveland also acquires his Bird Rights, which makes re-signing him slightly easier if he chooses to opt out and maximize his earnings. If he decides to opt in, which may or may not have been of equal concern to a Detroit team ready for a teardown, then the Cavs lock in with a player of a caliber that they probably couldn’t attract in the summer. Cleveland’s cap space could very well have gone unused in free agency – but maybe it should.

And even if Drummond does opt in, fearful of what the market holds for traditional bigs in an increasing untraditional ecosystem, it’s only a one-year deal. That would give the Cavs an opportunity to move him at next year’s deadline, too.

For now, Cleveland gets a few months to see how Drummond might look next to Love, Collin Sexton, Darius Garland and Kevin Porter Jr., among others.

More broadly, this could be the Cavs trying to get good again after the market for Love and his massive contract proved to be icy cold – or at the very least, trying to quell Love’s concerns by adding a name-brand player. Which brings us back to how good, average or worse Drummond really is when you look beyond the gaudy box scores.

One big challenge will be sorting out the rotation. The Cavs now have four legitimate options between their two forward spots, on a day where they might’ve anticipated having only Nance aboard by Friday morning. John Beilein, who has had his share of struggles in his first NBA season, will need to strike a balance between the four players, and it will be a constant juggling act even with Thompson headed for greener pastures in free agency.

The biggest challenge will be sorting out exactly how Drummond helps this Cavs team get better. He’s an elite rebounder, but the Cavs weren’t exactly aching for a glass-crasher given the work of Love and Thompson. He may be able to help Love return to a full-time power forward role, which seems to be his best fit. He showed poor effort for a go-nowhere Detroit team, only to end up on a going-less-places Cavs squad. Drummond’s become an improved playmaker. He also wastes a lot of offensive possessions that disrupt the team’s flow.

It’s certainly not his fault that the Pistons have been bad. Injuries and poor management are major, major factors in Detroit’s horrid stretch of basketball. At some point, however, it has to be asked what good all those 20-20 games are if the team is unable to take any kind of forward step.

Questions about Drummond’s impact will continue and it’s entirely possible that the Cavs end up hoping this relationship won’t continue past the next few months. It’s a curious fit, but the acquisition cost makes it worth a roll of the dice.

There’s a lot of unknowns to sort through, but at least the Cavs will get a head start at unpacking them all.

To be clear, there’s still plenty to like about Love as a player, even with his defensive misgivings. As the third option, ideally, on a contending team – the sort to which he’d like to be traded to, reportedly – you can win with Love as an elite stretch four and high-level rebounder. That said, he is basically a turnstile on defense and comes with plenty of injury risk, and this is not a seamless mid-season transition should he end up getting dealt.

At 31 years old, we won’t be seeing 25 & 12 Love again. Most of the teams that are sniffing around don’t need that, but ultimately the question is whether or not Love, a solid but deeply flawed player who needs certain circumstances to provide optimal value, is worth all that money. In a vacuum, probably not. Given what the Cavs are reportedly asking for, almost certainly not. What they’re requesting and what they might actually accept, however, could be very different things.

There’s an easy argument to be made that the Cavs just getting out from that salary and commitment will be a win, regardless of what they get in return. Clearing the deck (as they can also achieve by trading Tristan Thompson and Jordan Clarkson, among others) would free up the Cavs to act as a dumping ground for other onerous contracts and collect futures in the process. Working Love’s vacated space into a network of smaller deals should net the team more than they’ll receive for trading Love given the likelihood that other teams view him as a net negative asset because of that contract.

In terms of a single-team trade for Love, it’s not a long list of fits. Nobody should be looking into trading for Love unless they feel he puts them over the top – which is a variable position that we’ll discuss shortly. We’re going to avoid specific, trade machine proposals, as well as theorizing three-team deals. There’s a lot of variability in situations like this so we’ll narrow our focus to the teams that could conceivably be interested and able to make something happen.

You can safely count the Clippers, Lakers, Bucks and Sixers as out of the mix. They probably feel good enough about their chances already to avoid the market for something like this. The Rockets and Celtics have been mentioned as potential suitors in the past but finding matching salary is a nightmare and would require core players like Clint Capela or Gordon Hayward to change hands unless other teams get involved to grease the wheels.

The Nets could use a boost but shouldn’t entertain dealing from their depth until they see how it looks around a healthy duo of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. The Pacers, likewise, will give their current group a run with a healthy Victor Oladipo before shaking it up.

Denver has also been connected to Love in the past but salary-matching necessitates the inclusion of either Paul Millsap (not happening considering the defensive effects) or a combo of Mason Plumlee’s expiring deal plus Will Barton or thereabouts. The Cavs might be able to do better than that with picks and futures, and even if the Nuggets cave and include more interesting pieces like Malik Beasley or Michael Porter Jr., it’s still a major risk to upset a strong defensive outfit by adding a 31-year-old liability to a young core that’s still on the right side of the development curve.

Similarly, Toronto could use the offensive boost but acquiring Love would probably cost either Marc Gasol or Serge Ibaka and weaken the team’s defensive strength. Plus, the Raptors, like many other teams, would be hesitant to take themselves out of the frenzy for the top free agents in the summer of 2021.

On the other end of the spectrum, the Warriors, Pelicans, Hawks, Bulls, Wizards and Grizzlies are likely uninterested in adding someone like Love to the mix. The Knicks and Kings are other teams that should absolutely be in agreement, but you never know with the way those organizations run and the relative difficulty that each has faced in attracting high-end talent in free agency. Even so, the Kings look like they’ve figured out that a Richaun Holmes-Marvin Bagley frontcourt is the way to go, while the Knicks don’t look to have enough assets to tempt Cleveland – unless the top priority is to simply be rid of Love’s contract.

The Pistons, Spurs and Magic are probably out. The addition of Love isn’t going to move the needle, or really fit with what these teams are about. Orlando would be interesting, but it would hinge on Cleveland’s interest in Aaron Gordon, as well as the Magic’s interest in running with a hugely expensive frontcourt.

That leaves eight still left as at least feasible trade partners. Again, most of this comes down to whether teams are willing to surrender anything to acquire Love, or if they’re expecting Cleveland to pay for the service of taking that contract off their hands. How the market evolves will significantly change the Cavs’ strategy, and the viability of each team on the list.

When you think about hypotheticals, remember: the salaries generally have to match up, expiring deals are extra appealing, teams place immense value on flexibility, Love acquirers won’t want to surrender anything of value, Love has to help them accomplish an attainable, significant goal, the Cavs should be looking for picks and young players and their backcourt is mostly locked into place. And always ask, “would both teams agree to this package?” We’ve included some names to get the ball rolling with loose, thinking-out-loud frameworks, but as a disclaimer nothing here is based off any sources or inside intel.

Minnesota

For: The Wolves might want to push for the postseason to show some forward progress. They could offer up Jeff Teague’s expiring deal and the Cavs could use him as a mentor for their young guards. If the Cavs insist on more than salary relief and a pick, Josh Okogie could be in play given Jarrett Culver’s positional versatility. As far as a potential, completely hypothetical asset, that’s a huge win for Cleveland.

Against: Minny’s going to fight tooth and nail to not include someone even half decent, let alone Okogie, considering they can match salaries from guys who aren’t long-term contributors. Would the Wolves be best served by adding Love to the mix anyway? Andrew Wiggins is thriving in an elevated role and Minnesota should be thinking long term, not just for the next couple of seasons. There have been signs of progress, but nothing that suggests Minnesota would throw its plan out the window for a nostalgia tour.

Phoenix

For: The Suns might get daring in an effort to just make the playoffs, as “over the top” for them is entirely different than it is for most other teams. Adding Love might make them one of the league’s very best offensive teams. They could send out one of their depth forwards, plus a young backup guard and the expiring deal of Tyler Johnson.

Against: Someone like Mikal Bridges might be the most interesting player Cleveland could get in return across the league, but that would require the Suns to get insanely desperate (read: foolish). Dario Saric’s star has waned significantly; would the Cavs have the mettle or leverage to insist on someone better? The Suns are already looking at a messy situation in the frontcourt where Aron Baynes has transformed the team, and there’s no world in which he isn’t set to take minutes from last year’s No. 1 pick, Deandre Ayton. Adding Love adds to the headache, weakens the defense and doesn’t fit with the team’s timeline.

Oklahoma City

For: The Thunder definitely need offensive help. It’s been rumored that OKC is willing to take on bad contracts as they figure to be active at the deadline. Offseason talk was that the Thunder had Dennis Schroder and Steven Adams on the block to get under the luxury tax, and if they’re able to move those two or Danilo Gallinari (highly likely) or Chris Paul, OKC could be prepared to take on all kinds of financial commitments. Perhaps it becomes easier to trade Love a year from now, or certainly two years from now. If the Thunder are really committed to the retool, they can play that card as long as some of those other players are traded away.

Against: The Cavs would want to accomplish a similar style of deal if nobody wants to take on Love’s contract; absorb bad money into their future swaths of cap space and pick up assets for the privilege. The Thunder are a fringe playoff contender and probably don’t care much about Love’s on-court boost to the offense. Trading for Love now doesn’t guarantee that he can be flipped again later; the Thunder would be inheriting all the risk, even if they get under the tax in the process, since a stripped-down roster has no use for him.

Utah

For: The Jazz have been surprisingly mediocre as it’s taken them a while to gel, and Love gives the team an immediate lift on the offensive side. This is a team that wants to get into the title conversation and adding Love might not have the same defensive sting with the Jazz strong on that end and Rudy Gobert around to protect the rim.

Against: The Jazz would have to deal one of their presumed core guys, and another big mid-year change might be too much to handle for a team that hasn’t even finished the adjustment period of adding Mike Conley in the summer. Besides, would a pick, a Dante Exum reclamation project and another player entice the Cavs if the rest of the league still values Love as a positive asset? Love might not be as big a defensive drag on a strong team, but that’s not a guarantee. Like a more desperate version of the Nuggets, offense-in for defense-out might not be worth the gamble.

Miami

For: The Heat have a busy rotation, but power forward remains a position of relative weakness. They could sacrifice some of their guard and wing depth, and have enough poor contracts on the books that salary matching isn’t super burdensome. Even James Johnson’s ugly contract brings less future commitment than Love’s, and if that’s Cleveland’s primary concern then there’s a few pathways to a deal.

Against: The Heat’s depth is a major advantage, and dealing from that significantly could prove to be too much risk since the team looks pretty good as is. Soaking up cap space might not be Miami’s best play considering the likelihood they get in the mix for big free agents in the next couple of years, especially with Jimmy Butler on board. The Heat didn’t want to move Derrick Jones Jr. to open up space to acquire Butler last summer, which makes it unlikely that they offer the Cavs any players with legitimate on-court appeal. The Heat also can’t trade any of their first-rounders before their 2025 pick, which makes it exceedingly difficult to see a pure contract dump.

Dallas

For: Putting a lethal shooter around Luka Doncic is just smart. Love helps Dallas’ rebounding and fills a hole at power forward.

Against: The Mavs have a good thing going already and don’t necessarily need to take on this risk, especially as their young core starts to make Dallas look like a highly appealing free agent destination. The Mavs, like Miami, are also held up on picks until 2025, and there’s not much on the roster that the Cavs would be interested in otherwise.

Portland

For: This has been a common suggestion for the last couple of years, and it’s clear that the Blazers need help after their forward depth got gutted in the summer. Excess shooting would be a big lift and the defensive concerns might not be as steep considering Portland already can’t defend all that well. Offensive gains might actually offset the hit to an already-substandard defense.

Against: Adding Love would put the Blazers in a major cap bind with three $30 million players for the next three years, and no guarantees of significant progress. Rodney Hood’s injury makes it tougher for the Blazers to go all-in on this year, and depletes the depth they can trade from – Kent Bazemore might be off the table now. Dumping Hassan Whiteside is possible but Love shouldn’t be a full-time center and the Cavs probably have no interest in adding Whiteside to a young team considering his attitude issues. Carmelo Anthony gets points for trying but any lineups featuring Love-Melo are shark bait if Portland gets into the postseason.

Charlotte

For: The Hornets have plenty of expiring deals to trade. Getting someone like Love, while imperfect, could give them an outside chance at being somewhat competitive in a weak conference. A Love-Nic Batum swap looks like a win-win as Love helps Charlotte while Batum comes off the books after next season. The Hornets might not attract a player of Love’s quality in free agency, and this at least gets them someone of that caliber.

Against: This is the same team that failed to pull the trigger on Marc Gasol last season, when the future of their franchise player was at stake. Why would they decide to swing a move for Love now that they’re in a full rebuild? Adding him only clouds the cap outlook and probably doesn’t do enough to get the Hornets into serious contention, even if Devonte’ Graham and Terry Rozier keep up their impressive play and Love moves to full-time center to allow for the continued development of PJ Washington and Miles Bridges. There’s not much here that Charlotte would trade that the Cavs would really want.

Cleveland may have to face the reality that they won’t get anything other than financial freedom in return for a player that’s been excellent for the franchise. The list of feasible suitors is currently limited and there are plenty of drawbacks for each, especially as teams try to rein in their future commitments so they can be nimble on the open market.

Love can absolutely help a good team, even as he ages and continues to pick up bumps and bruises. Unfortunately, his margin for error continues to evaporate, and teams can be pickier about going after forwards that can shoot the three and be terrible on defense.

Love wants to land on a contender, and luckily for him this league is truly unpredictable, but as it stands there aren’t many ways for a contender to land him without at least one party making significant concessions or assuming huge, potentially deal-breaking levels of risk. Can Love prove to be a net positive on the court in the postseason for a team that doesn’t have two other certified superstars? Do any of the main suitors get pushed over the top by his addition? Things change and teams get desperate, but it’s a tough road ahead.

Fun times are ahead, and this exhibition season gives folks a glimpse at drawing meaningful conclusions – the UDFA who scores 25 points might not end up playing outside of garbage time but fans will be able to sink their teeth into rotations, lineups and find out who was lying about reworking their jump shot in the summer.

The Eastern Conference especially finds itself in a state of flux. LeBron James’ departure swung the door wide open, with Masai Ujiri’s Raptors taking some bold steps to be the first team through. Now that Kawhi Leonard is gone, the Celtics’ presumed title core has been rejiggered and the Sixers’ Big 4 approach has been altered, it’s shaping up like a free-for-all with a widening group of potential contenders.

We’ll run through the West later in the week, but for now here are some Eastern Conference stories to watch out for in the preseason.

Atlanta Hawks

How NBA-ready is Bruno Fernando?

The Hawks look to have some long-term answers at four of the five spots on the floor, with the lone exception coming at center. Alex Len showed up as a vastly improved shooter last season and will enter this year as the starter, but that’s a stopgap solution for a team hoping to ride its young core to contention in the near-ish future.

Enter Bruno Fernando, who should immediately fit in as a rim-runner and rebounder. His pivotal role in Maryland’s offense should serve him well even if he won’t be tasked with much playmaking this season, and the question is whether Fernando’s limited offensive game can hold up in extended minutes. Defensively he’ll be able to provide rim protection, but lateral quickness could be an issue and teams will surely target him in space.

If Fernando looks the part of a ready-made NBA center, he could quickly flip the split of playing time so the Hawks can get a better look at how their long-term pieces fit together. Don’t expect the Hawks to force the issue, but they would undoubtedly be happy if Fernando developed quickly.

Boston Celtics

Offense or defense at center?

When the Celtics signed Enes Kanter, it was assumed that he would slot right in as the team’s starter, replacing Aron Baynes and Al Horford. While Kanter is coming off a solid playoff run after rotting away on the bench in New York, his game does come with extensive defensive deficiencies. Depending on how Brad Stevens wants his team to look, it’s possible that we see one of the other candidates assert themselves as a viable option.

Robert Williams, who started the team’s first preseason contest, is the likely frontrunner of the non-Kanter field. While he fills an extremely narrow lane on offense, he would give the Celtics a potentially elite rim protector and offers the most upside of anyone in the group. Should Stevens opt for a more intimidating defensive group, Williams is the easy call.

There’s also the notion that Kanter can be used as more of a matchup type, drawing the starts against burly centers while coming off the bench to dominate weaker opponents in other games. It’s not dissimilar to how the Raptors used Jonas Valanciunas or how the Bucks used to use Greg Monroe.

Perhaps Daniel Theis, whose versatile game can serve as a happy medium, will stand out. He’ll require fewer offensive touches than Kanter and offers the best spacing of all the options. Newcomer Vincent Poirier will also be competing for time. The Celtics lost a ton of production at the center spot this summer and Stevens now has the chance to remold the team with a distinct new identity. Which player he chooses, assuming nobody asserts themselves entirely as a result of their play, should be revealing.

Brooklyn Nets

Kenny Atkinson’s ‘good problem’ in the backcourt

The Nets have reached the mountaintop, or at least gone as high as you can without having played any games yet. They bottomed out but rebuilt the team in such a way that they could attract two superstar talents. Brooklyn has collected a number of quality players to complement its big pieces, and Kenny Atkinson’s deep rotations have helped develop a lot of players in meaningful situations.

The Nets have received quality play from D’Angelo Russell, Spencer Dinwiddie, Joe Harris and Caris LeVert, among others, over the last few seasons. While the team gets credit for helping these players blossom, they’ve all been aided by some lucky breaks. Dinwiddie first broke onto the scene when Jeremy Lin got hurt and became a mainstay when Russell went down in 2017-18. Russell really broke out last season after LeVert went down, and LeVert returned to the lineup while Dinwiddie was sidelined.

While injuries will inevitably strike, Atkinson’s juggling task will only get tougher as each player continues to grow. With four starting-caliber guards, and the presence of Taurean Prince and Rodions Kurucs (and eventually Kevin Durant) soaking up minutes at small forward, the Nets will need to strike a careful balance to make sure everyone gets fed. Brooklyn’s rotation is always busy but we’ll be keeping a close eye on the playing time throughout the preseason.

Charlotte Hornets

Can Willy Hernangomez get it together?

The offensively gifted 25-year-old seems to be running out of chances. The Knicks punted him from the rotation despite a solid rookie campaign, and Hernangomez couldn’t gain any traction after being traded to Charlotte. The team couldn’t afford to deal with his shortcomings last season while they were trying to make the playoffs and convince Kemba Walker to stick around, but there’s really no excuse for Hernangomez to be an occasional DNP-CD this season.

The defense will always be problematic, but the setup is perfect for the Hornets to just grin and bear it. If Hernangomez can’t establish himself as the clear backup to the oft-injured Cody Zeller by beating out the oft-injured Bismack Biyombo, it might just be the final straw. There’s enough offensive skill to keep a rebuilding team interested, but eventually the rubber has to hit the road.

Chicago Bulls

The Kris Dunn dilemma

Dunn was given the starting nod for Chicago’s preseason opener but the team’s actions point to a different long-term vision. They can pump up Tomas Satoransky and Shaq Harrison as guys who can play 1-3 as much as they’d like, but to play them anywhere other than point guard is a major disservice to both them and the team.

That said, Dunn could very well play his way back into the mix with a strong preseason. He’ll have limited opportunities with the Bulls mixing and matching their lineups to get a good look at all four PGs on the roster but it’s not out of the question that he outplays his counterparts. A trade still seems likely at some point but stranger things have happened and we’re likely to see a highly motivated version of Dunn, who went from potential franchise guard to potential DNP-CD in a hurry.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Garland & Sexton

The Cavs took a bit of a risk in drafting Darius Garland fifth overall after he was felled for the season by a torn meniscus in November. Doubly so considering they just took a point guard in the lottery, grabbing Collin Sexton last summer. How these two coexist will determine a lot about Cleveland’s future, and with both more inclined to be scorers we’ll be watching closely to see how things shake out.

Sexton struggled mightily with efficiency last season before a strong burst at the finish, and he still needs some work in terms of shot selection. Garland offers better range and is more of a dynamic scorer in general, but neither really fits a traditional playmaking mold. It can certainly work with the two splitting that load, but how they find a groove playing side by side is going to be the story of the preseason for the Cavs. Keep a close eye on how both players manage without the ball in their hands.

Detroit Pistons

Christian Wood’s big break?

It’s been two seasons of Christian Wood throttling inferior competition, and even a big finish with the Pelicans couldn’t get him a guaranteed spot. It looks as though he’ll be competing with Joe Johnson for the final spot on Detroit’s roster. It’s an interesting battle in that the two competitors provide entirely different things, so Dwane Casey may already have a good idea of who the frontrunner is even if there’s nothing being said publicly.

There’s some dynamic talent at play, and Wood would seem to offer a bit more all-around upside than Thon Maker or Markieff Morris. If the Pistons, who are hoping to actually make noise in the playoffs, and Casey, who has historically had a hard time deviating from plans until his hand is forced, want the safe route, then Wood is going to be facing an uphill battle.

Indiana Pacers

Myles Turner’s shooting

The Pacers are going a little old school with their frontcourt combo of Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis. Most teams are riding with better shooting out of the power forward slots, but Turner and Sabonis are clearly Indiana’s two most talented big men and it’s well worth it to figure out how the pairing functions, and how they can thrive together long-term. There’s pretty clear evidence that Sabonis works best in the paint, so most of the adjusting figures to fall to Turner.

He’ll need to spend more time outside the arc, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him cutting in and out of the paint quickly to give Sabonis room to operate on offense. Turner is a .363 career deep shooter with notable progress in each year of his career, culminating in last season’s .388 mark. Expect him to easily eclipse last year’s career-high 2.6 3-point attempts per game and look out for where those attempts are coming – Turner shot .625 from the corners last season but only took 16 attempts. He took 179 of his threes above the break, hitting at a .369 clip.

Miami Heat

Justise Winslow’s versatility, or lack thereof

Winslow entered the league as a do-it-all prospect who could switch across multiple positions, which sort of left him in no man’s land on a Miami roster that had a few similar players. Eventually, the question has to be asked: if you play multiple positions but never truly excel at any of them, are you really versatile after all?

Luckily, Winslow seemed to find his calling as the fill-in point guard when Goran Dragic was injured last season. It’s a position that he’s been vocal about playing going forward, except the Heat have been committed to Dragic as their PG for as long as he’s on the roster. That might be a little bit of lip service considering they tried to trade him this summer, but it’s unlikely that The Dragon would be shuttled aside right away. How those two split the role is going to have a big say in Miami’s results this year, and with expectations cranked up as a result of the Jimmy Butler acquisition, the Heat may face a tough decision.

Winslow has more of a future in Miami than the 33-year-old Dragic. How much are the Heat willing to sacrifice his development at a position where he finally looks comfortable?

Milwaukee Bucks

Who fills the void in Malcolm Brogdon’s absence?

The Bucks predictably found success by stuffing the roster with shooters that can play off of Giannis Antetokounmpo’s elite penetration game. Though they’re still clearly one of the top teams in the East, Milwaukee may struggle to replace Malcolm Brogdon – the team’s fourth-leading assist man and a .408 career 3-point shooter.

Wesley Matthews and Kyle Korver have been brought in but neither can fill the playmaking shoes, and the Bucks’ second units could have trouble with scoring without a clear leader and efficient perimeter scorer who can create his own shot. Perhaps Khris Middleton, who was frustrated by his new role at times last season, is asked to handle a lot of that load.

New York Knicks

Frank Ntilikina

The Knicks’ brass likes to talk a lot. It’s David Fizdale who said that Lance Thomas could be New York’s version of Draymond Green, after all, so you can excuse anyone who chooses to take any audio from MSG with a big grain of salt. Allegedly, the Knicks will have a competition for the point guard spot this season. Allegedly, Frank Ntilikina is part of it.

That’s pretty inconsistent with all the rumors surrounding Ntilikina’s future with the organization, but perhaps New York will bank on a strong World Cup performance creating enough confidence to get Frankie Smokes rolling out of the gates. Odds are that Ntilikina’s NBA career will be best-served by a move to another organization – the Knicks haven’t exercised their option on him yet, after all – but he just might be able to salvage things. New York was very quick to give up on a raw player with obvious defensive merit, and while that’s on brand for the Knicks, some quick proof of improvement could change their tune.

Orlando Magic

Al-Farouq Aminu’s role

It was a bit curious that the Magic signed Al-Farouq Aminu this summer when they have Aaron Gordon and Jonathan Isaac already in the fold, but it’s a move that made more sense after some marinating.

The Magic became a stifling defensive team last season, and Aminu has experience taking on the tough matchups in Portland. Aminu will also provide a little bit of a boost to a team that shot .321 from deep last year and can also chip in on the glass. He’ll help bolster a bench unit that wavered in terms of impact (aside from Terrence Ross) last season and can be elevated into a larger role if need be. Simply put, he’s the sort of defender and complementary contributor that Steve Clifford is likely to love.

His signing is a win-now move from a team that’s really buying into last year’s big step forward, and it’s going to be interesting to see if his steady play can take minutes from either Gordon or Isaac.

Philadelphia 76ers

Josh Richardson’s offensive fit

Richardson is a nice get for Philadelphia, who acquired an ascendant two-way guard in exchange for sending Jimmy Butler to Miami. Over the course of his first four seasons with the Heat, Richardson rose through the pecking order and set a career-high in usage in each campaign. That figures to change in Philly, where he could be look at as the low man on the totem pole.

Although Richardson’s game and flighty efficiency might actually shine with a more limited set of responsibilities, it will be an adjustment for a player who has been on a linear progression as a primary offensive weapon. He’ll be counted on to stretch the floor and will be a major part of the elite defense that the Sixers have assembled (on paper), but we may be able to learn a bit about the team’s offensive plans for Richardson in the preseason. Teams with lots of overhaul tend to deploy their real rotation guys the most in the exhibition season so the Sixers might provide some insightful games.

Toronto Raptors

The big lineup

The Raptors have a ton of changes to work through given their high-profile departures, but despite the huge vacancies at the two and three spots it’ll be how they deploy their three best forwards that merits watching. The combination of Marc Gasol, Serge Ibaka and Pascal Siakam played 37 minutes together in the playoffs – after playing zero minutes in the regular season – to a 97.1 ORTG and a 101.5 DRTG, though the added size was crucial in keeping the Sixers off the glass in the postseason.

It would be wise for the Raptors to give Siakam as many minutes as possible at different positions to find the limits of his versatility and although Ibaka found great success as a full-time center, the Raptors are likely short on the shooting that can allow him to really shine as a dump-off or mid-range option on offense. Gasol’s game is malleable enough to fit with most players, especially if a climb in the pecking order eliminates the passivity that defined his worst playoff performances.

This is a team that will lean heavily on its defense this season. Getting their smartest defender, their best rim protector and most athletic player on the court at the same time is going to fit that vibe. At the very least it’s a lineup worth exploring further.

Washington Wizards

Davis Bertans, besides the shooting

It’s already established that Bertans is one of the league’s elite sharpshooters among big men. The Marcus Morris free agency flip-flop took Bertans from a great basketball program in San Antonio, but it sent him to a fantastic opportunity in Washington. It looks as though he’ll enter the season as a starter, and the big question is how well the rest of his game can hold up.

Although Bertans has developed nicely, it’s fair to say that there was a limit on his ceiling with the Spurs. The team was too good to tolerate potential growing pains, and they’ve had capable forwards in place for as long as he was on the roster. Washington isn’t expected to make much noise this season and it’s an environment where Bertans should be tested. The team will be able to let him play through mistakes and carry a heavier burden than he would’ve with the Spurs.

Though his bread-and-butter skill will keep Bertans in the league for a while, he’ll be afforded the chance to shed his reputation as a one-dimensional player. If he looks like a capable defender in the preseason, expect the expectations and excitement to quietly rachet up.