Cleveland Cavaliers Roster for 2016-17 Season – Projected Starting 5, the Bench and Players that Left: When Will LeBron James Sign?
Defending NBA Champions Cleveland Cavaliers don't need a roster overhaul as they prepare to defend their trophy this coming 2016-17 NBA season.
The same can't be said about the Golden State Warriors, which had to make a ton of adjustments after acquiring Kevin Durant. That includes releasing two key starters Harrison Barnes and Andrew Bogut, with both players sent to the Dallas Mavericks.
David Griffin, Cavaliers general manager, has little room to make roster adjustments, even as LeBron James hasn't signed yet. Spotrac shows that the Cavs have already exceeded the team's luxury tax limit by $13.4 million.
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Players that left Cleveland Cavaliers
Timofey Mozgov will now play for the Lakers after signing an overpaid 4-year contract worth $64 million. Matthew Dellavedova is sent to the Milwaukee Bucks for a 4-year $38 million deal.
The Cavaliers also traded for veteran Mike Dunleavy Jr. In exchange, the Cavs will probably give the Bulls their 2nd round pick.
Projected Starting 5 for the Cavaliers
The following is the projected 2016-17 Starting Lineup for the Cleveland Cavaliers:
Kyrie Irving at point guard
Iman Shumpert at shooting guard
LeBron James at small forward (didn't re-sign yet)
Kevin Love at power forward
Tristan Thompson at center
Not much has changed with the defending champs starting 5. This will surely help the team improve its already exceptional team chemistry. Tyronn Lue will still be the head coach, and Kevin Love is expected to make a bigger impact with the team. Struggling to adapt at the early stages of the 2015-16 season, Love has shown in the finals that he is willing to take an offensive option back seat behind James and Irving.
Cleveland Cavaliers Bench for Season 2016-17
The following players will complete the rest of the Cavs roster:
Mo Williams at point guard
Kay Felder at point guard (Rookie that hasn't signed yet)
Jordan McRae at shooting guard
Richard Jefferson at small forward
Dahntay Jones at small forward
Mike Dunleavy at small forward
Channing Frye at power forward
Sasha Kaun at center
When Will James Re-Sign?
LeBron James and Richard Jefferson are expected to return to Cleveland. Jefferson will re-sign with the Cavs for a 2-year $5 million deal.
LeBron, however, hasn't said a word about when he will re-sign. He has, however, reassured his fans that he will return to Cleveland. During the Cavaliers' victory parade, James said, "Obviously my agent will take care of all the logistical things but, I'm happy. I've got no plans to go nowhere at this point."
Maybe James wants to act like the King everyone is waiting for, but we can only speculate. The best thing to do right now is wait patiently.
James recently won 3 individual awards at the recently concluded ESPY awards, including Best Male Athlete (his 3rd win).
