The Cleveland Cavaliers couldn’t have had a worse Eastern Conference Finals performance. It started when they blew a 22-point fourth quarter lead in Game 1 against the New York Knicks, and things just went downhill from there — leading to a resounding sweep that proved they have a lot of changes to make this offseason.

If the Cavs want to blow things up, they can certainly do so. James Harden needs a new contract. Donovan Mitchell is nearing a supermax extension. Evan Mobley would be one of the more valuable trade assets in the league if he were to be made available. Then again, this team just made it to the conference finals for the first time since LeBron James left; drastic measures are by no means a must.

Cleveland will either find better depth options or they’ll flip struggling role players for an upgrade via the draft or free agency. Either way, these four players feel as good as gone.

G Keon Ellis

This kind of feels like a no-brainer for Cleveland. While Ellis did flash at times after coming over from Sacramento, the Cavs are in desperate need of more viable two-way options on the wing if they’re going to continue to build around two guards in Mitchell and Harden and two bigs in Mobley and Jarrett Allen. Ellis played significant minutes in just three of the Cavs’ playoff games this year; yes, benches get shrunken in the playoffs, and coaches typically have short leashes. But Ellis failed to become a player for Kenny Atkinson to turn to, especially in the Eastern Conference Finals. 

The Cavaliers needed bench production in this series, and the fact that Ellis didn’t produce aside from garbage time and wasn’t really a factor in any of the games he appeared in means the Cavs will probably opt to let him go.

F Dean Wade

The one thing Cleveland has to figure out is which role players they’re going to stick with and which they’ll try to turn over. Max Strus and Sam Merrill were the Cavs’ core bench players this year, but they didn’t quite have that consistency either shooting or defensively or (especially in Merrill’s case) both. Both players were hampered with injuries, which only highlighted how frustrating it was when Dean Wade didn’t really contribute much either. Aside from some sturdy defense on Cade Cunningham and Jalen Brunson, he simply did not do enough offensively to stay on the floor.

As much as Cleveland want to put the pressure on Donovan Mitchell and James Harden to carry this offense, they need better wing players around them. Allen isn’t an offensive maestro and Mobley is too inconsistent on that end and wants to play on the perimeter more than not. Wade is just a roster spot at this point, and Cleveland won’t get any closer to a Finals appearance with him around.

C Jarrett Allen

There was a lot of speculation over the last few years that the Cavs would break up their twin towers. I think this is the year they pull the trigger: As good as Allen has been for Cleveland at times, he can’t stretch the floor and is sparingly used as part of the offense. Cleveland prefers to score from the perimeter and the wings, and with him collecting nearly $30 million per year, they have to find a better fit at the center spot.

Mobley’s upside should make him virtually untradeable, which is why Allen becomes the casualty here. Harden and Mitchell are probably getting at least one more full season together to see if they can generate a run to the Finals — the Cavs have too much invested to pull the plug — which has been their Achilles heel. Allen won’t be hard to deal, the question is what do they get in return? Does Cleveland seek draft capital, or do they try and get a depth piece in hope they can create a cheaper alternative to what Allen brought?

G Max Strus

Max Strus was injured for much of the regular season, and he hasn’t really been that spark off the bench like the Cavs hoped. Cleveland’s biggest problem is they don’t generate a lot of offense outside of Mitchell and Harden; Strus is supposed to do that with his shooting and secondary playmaking, but that’s failed to materialize. He is set to make more than $16.6 million next year and instead of bringing him back, the Cavs should look to get something in return for him. 

Dennis Schroeder is the catalyst of the second unit. What he brings both as a defender and playmaker is why Cleveland traded for him. Strus and Merrill are supposed to be the two scoring options that keep the offense afloat. The Cavs have desperately needed Strus, but he’s averaging just 8.7 points per game. 

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