The Cavaliers have a clear need in the second unit, but Russell Westbrook is not the answer.
Cleveland still doesn’t have a dependable backup point guard, and the Dennis Schroder experiment already looks like it’s headed for the exit. Tyrese Proctor deserves a longer look, too, especially after excelling with the national team at the FIBA level this offseason. He may even be the best three-point shooter on the roster.
That hasn’t stopped Russell Westbrook from surfacing as a possible fit. In a recent Bleacher Report column, Scott Polacek linked the Cavaliers to the former MVP, alongside the Phoenix Suns and Houston Rockets.
Polacek wrote, "Westbrook would be a type of offensive insurance for all three of them, but especially the Cavaliers," adding, "With Donovan Mitchell and James Harden, they don't need him to play heavy minutes. Instead, he can provide a spark when the offense stalls and work in pick-and-pops with Evan Mobley."
There’s no denying Westbrook’s place in the game. He’s the greatest rebounding point guard of all time, a future first-ballot Hall of Famer and one of the most competitive players of his era. He’s also been scapegoated more than enough over the years, and it’s a shame he’ll probably retire without a ring.
But that doesn’t mean Cleveland should go down this road now. Westbrook’s best seasons are behind him, and what the Cavaliers need from a reserve guard is steadiness, high-IQ play and real floor spacing. That’s not the version of basketball Westbrook is likely to give them.
Sure, he can still flash the old version from time to time. He can still swing a game with energy and a burst of production.
He can raise the temperature in the building, too. The problem is that he can also drag a team into trouble because he still plays like a superstar.
None of that is meant as a shot at him personally. By all accounts, Westbrook has handled himself the right way, and former teammates have consistently praised him for being selfless and committed to winning. But on the floor, his game remains unpredictable, and that’s where the fit starts to crack.
The Cavaliers should be shopping for bench scoring and someone who can lighten the load on Donovan Mitchell and James Harden. What they should not do is convince themselves that Westbrook is the fix.
If Cleveland makes that move, the most likely outcome is noise, frustration and an eventual split - whether that comes through a cut or a trade later on. That kind of distraction is the last thing this team needs.
In Other News...
Cavaliers Could Be Preparing Dennis Schroder For A Bigger Offseason Move
Dennis Schroder arrived in Cleveland midway through the 2025-26 season and quickly became the sort of veteran backcourt piece teams value in a pinch, a versatile backup point guard with experience across 11 NBA teams. For the Cavaliers, his presence has been useful on the floor, but his name now appears to be part of a broader roster conversation as the front office looks ahead.
What makes the situation notable is that Cleveland is not simply weighing Schroder as an individual move, but as part of a larger effort to reconfigure the roster and create room to maneuver. The Cavaliers are exploring trade packages around him with an eye toward adding financial flexibility, the kind that can shape the rest of an offseason even before the market fully opens. [Read more 🡒]
Cavs Are Chasing One More Offseason Move And It Could Matter
The Cavaliers still have one more offseason lane to explore as they look to round out a roster built to contend in the East. After doing most of their heavy lifting already, Cleveland remains tied to the market for restricted free agents, with Jonathan Kuminga and Peyton Watson both on the radar as possible ways to add length and upside without changing the teams core identity.
There is also a financial layer to the search, since Cleveland is still weighing trade possibilities involving Dennis Schroder in an effort to open up more room to operate. For a team that has tried to balance immediate expectations with future flexibility, the next move may not be the splashiest one on the board, but it could end up shaping how far the Cavaliers can push their offseason plans. [Read more 🡒]
Cavaliers Still Have One Lineup Question That Could Shape Everything
The Cavaliers enter camp with the core everyone expected, and that alone gives Cleveland a pretty clear starting point. Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and James Harden are positioned to lead the way, while the front office has been quiet enough this offseason that the conversation has mostly shifted to fit rather than overhaul. Even with a relatively stable roster, the team still has a few moving parts to sort through, especially with the bench and the wing rotation.
The biggest lingering question sits at small forward, where the Cavs do not yet have a clean answer for who settles in and holds the job. Cleveland has been linked to free agent wings Jonathan Kuminga and Peyton Watson, which only adds to the sense that the roster could still get a late tweak, and veterans like Max Strus and Dennis Schrder may end up shaping the balance of the second unit. How that spot is resolved could influence everything from the starting five to the way the Cavaliers use their depth once the season begins. [Read more 🡒]