Cleveland Post-LeBron

 You start over and take the 76ers approch..

 George Hill has that virtual full team option contract for 2019-20 so that is surely worth a pick. K-Love only has one guaranteed year and a contender would surely like him. JR Smith’s final year is only partially guaranteed, Korver would interest a contender so assets could be be gained from them.

TT would be hard to move but start rebuild around Zizic, 8th pick, Nance and resign Hood and take it from there,

If LeBron leaves this summer, they have to go in complete teardown mode. But there are a lot of moving parts to make it a successful blowup.

Surely Dan Gilbert will not want to pay out salaries while still being in the repeater luxuary tax territory. So their options are to either trade their moveable contracts, or simply let them expire. 

Kevin Love has essentially an expiring contract of $24 mil next season with a $25.6 mil player option he’ll almost guarantee to opt out of. Cleveland can trade that contract to a team to bring back less talent on (hopefully) expring contracts to help ensure the tank. 

Kyle Korver is making $7.5 mil next season with a partially guaranteed contract of $3.4 mil the following season. Cleveland can trade him for a draft pick or simply let him play out the season and pay out the partial guarantee to let him walk.

George Hill is basically unmovable at $19 mill next season but only has a $1 mill guarantee after that in 19-20. They’ll obviously trade him if possible, but will likely play him next season and pay out the $1 to make him go away in 19-20.

JR Smith is making $14.7 mill next season and is the most unmovable contract on the team next to Tristan. He’ll play out the season and has a partial guarantee of $3.87 mill in 19-20 that they’ll pay out to make him go away.

Cleveland will let Rodney Hood walk and will probably opt to keep Lue on as head coach because Gilbert wont want to be paying multiple head coached after another new hire. 

Cleveland need to protect their future 1st round picks that have 1-10 protection on them in 18-19 and 19-20 (to Atl). They also have no 2nd round draft picks until 2023 and 2025.

 I am trading Kevin Love and Kyle Korver to the Celtics for Gordon Hayward, Daniel Theis, 27, cash, and a future second round pick.

Hayward might be the best overall player in this trade but he is coming off an injury.  

Love can score, shoot the 3, rebound at a high rate, and pass — would be an IDEAL fit on the Tatum/Horford front line.  

Kyle Korver can really shoot.  He can do that for the Celtics next season.

Rozier, Smart, and Brown gave all they had in the playoffs but they could use some extra outside shooting.  

Smart will probably walk.  Korver would be an ideal 7th option behind Kyrie, Tatum, Love, Brown, Horford, and Rozier.  

Then I think the Celtics need to sign a project rim running/rim protecting center like Nerlens Noel.

He could be an ideal 9th man behind those aforementioned 7 guys plus Marcus Morris.  

A Warriors-Celtics NBA Finals looks like a pretty good bet right now.

 If Lebron leaves the Cavs have to start over. They’ll likely move anyone who may hold solid trade value. Perhaps they keep some of the younger pieces they have like Larry Nance Jr and Jordan Clarkson. I’d imagine it will largely be a fire sale and that the Cavs would like significantly different come next season, assuming LeBron leaves.