Now What Will the Cavs Do at Center?

Chris “Birdman” Andersen is out for the year, leaving the Cavaliers without a backup center. What’s the best move to address the glaring hole?

On Friday the Cleveland Cavaliers announced that backup center Chris “Birdman” Andersen had torn his ACL in practice and would require season-ending surgery. While Andersen wasn’t getting consistent minutes in the Cavaliers’ rotation yet, his role as a backup center and rim protector are extremely important to the Cavaliers and they’ll undoubtedly be looking to replace him soon. Let’s take a look at who might be available for the Cavs to pursue as a replacement.

Free Agents

Chris Kaman

Kaman came off the bench for the Portland Trailblazers last season with his biggest role being a solid veteran locker room presence. At 34 years old, it’s not certain that Kaman has a whole lot left in the tank. In his prime, Kaman was an excellent defensive player with nine seasons averaging a block or more per game over his 13-year career. Kaman was unsigned over the offseason, but he hasn’t yet announced a decision to retire and might be a target for the Cavs to add a veteran big man on the roster.

Drew Gooden

Drew Gooden is another big man that went unsigned. He spent the last few years in Washington with the Wizards, but many Cavs fans have fond memories of Gooden from his time with the team in the late 2000s. He was a starter for the Cavs for the better part of four years and an integral part of the 2007 NBA Finals team. Gooden isn’t as much of a rim protector as Andersen or Kaman, but he’s a solid defensive player with a reliable midrange jumper. His ability to step away the basket gives him the advantage of positional versatility as he can step in at center or power forward as needed.

Mamadou N’Diaye

Alright, I’ll admit this is probably more of a personal fantasy than a possibility but still something the Cavs might consider. N’Diaye is an undrafted rookie out of California-Irvine who stands at 7’6 and weighs 300 pounds. Yes, you read that right. SEVEN FEET, SIX INCHES. The man isn’t good at putting the ball in the basket and was waived by two NBA teams and a D-League roster before the season started, so he’s probably not a world beater. But if the Cavs are looking for solid rim protection, N’Diaye might be the guy. He’s a talented shot blocker, averaging 2.4 blocks per game last year at UC Irvine. How can you imagine this monster of a man under the rim in wine and gold and not get a little excited about it?

Trades

Cleveland General Manager David Griffin has made some amazing trades over the past couple season landing J.R. Smith, Iman Shumpert, Timofey Mozgov and Channing Frye, all major parts of the Cavs title run. With this new need, I’m sure Griffin has a few more tricks up his sleeve. Griffin’s deals last year landed Cleveland multiple trade exceptions totaling over 12 million dollars, and those will definitely come in handy when trying to make some trades this season.

Kosta Koufos

There have been trade rumors surrounding Koufos for a few years now, and he might be a perfect fit for what the Cavs are looking for. Some reports said that the Cavs were looking at him as a possibility near the trade deadline last year to help make up for Mozgov’s deficiencies. Koufos is a seven-footer manning the paint as Sacramento’s starting center, but the Kings may be willing to part with him to provide more minutes to develop young centers Willie Cauley-Stein and rookie Georgios Papagiannis. I see two possibilities here:

CLE sends: 2020 first round pick, 2019 second round pick, Kay Felder, Jordan McRae, Mike Dunleavy

SAC sends: Kosta Koufos, Ty Lawson

This deal knocks out two birds with one stone for the Cavs. They need a defensive-minded center and could certainly use a competent back up point guard. The Kings may be hesitant to part with both Kufos and Lawson, but that’s why the Cavs are unloading just about every expendable piece they have. Youngsters McRae and Felder have a lot of potential as scoring guards, and Dunleavy is a productive veteran who can still fill it up from behind the three-point line. These are the only draft picks the Cavs have available through 2020, so this would be one last ditch effort to try to ensure another title in the next couple years. This deal is less likely because David Griffin usually likes to keep his options open rather than trade himself into a corner where he has no more pieces left to trade.

CLE sends: 2020 first round pick, Jordan McRae, Mo Williams

SAC sends: Kosta Koufos, 2018 second round pick

This deal doesn’t include Ty Lawson, so the Cavs may still be looking to make another trade this season and make further use of their multiple trade exceptions to try to land a similar point guard. However, this deal would get it done and send Koufos to Cleveland without giving up much on either side. In order to land Koufos in any scenario Cleveland would have to use the majority of its trade exceptions.

Salah Mejri

CLE sends: 2019 second round pick, Jordan McRae, Chris Andersen

DAL sends: Salah Mejri

Mejri is a 30-year-old center who made his debut in the NBA last year for the Mavericks. He’s a seven footer who’s shown some skill on the defensive side of the ball. The Mavericks have looked pretty terrible this year, and it looks like they’ll need to be in tank mode to build around Harrison Barnes for the next few years. Early reports from Cleveland have stated that the team will be looking to trade Andersen’s contract to a team looking to clear that money off their books. Trading away a 30-year-old sophomore for a draft pick and a promising young scorer as well as the cap room of releasing Andersen’s contract could be pretty alluring for Dallas.

Jeff Withey

CLE sends: 2019 second round pick, Jordan McRae, Chris Andersen

UTA sends: Jeff Withey

Jeff Withey is a young center who’s shown strong potential defensively but has largely fallen out of Utah’s rotation. As one of six big men on Utah’s roster, he’s seen his minutes go down to under ten a game this season, even with all of the Jazz injuries. Utah would likely part with him for a draft pick and a young player with potential. The seven footer averages almost a block a game, and while he likely wouldn’t see the floor much in Cleveland either, his rim protection might be just what the doctor ordered for certain situations.

Cole Aldrich

CLE sends: 2019 second round pick, Jordan McRae, Mo Williams

MIN sends: Cole Aldrich

Cole Aldrich is a journeyman center with little offensive upside, but a solid defensive presence. The T-Wolves are still a few years away from being serious title contenders, and their hopes for a low playoff seed seem almost extinguished already. Aldrich isn’t going to be a difference maker for Minny when they’re ready to contend so they shouldn’t mind parting with him. They’d be happy to net a draft pick and a young player with the added benefit of cap relief.

The Cavs don’t have a lot of assets to work with, but you can expect them to make a move soon. Having a fourth big-man on the roster not only gives them more defensive versatility, but also is important for making the rotations click and get everyone the rest they need. Birdman will be missed, but you can be sure Griffin will find a replacement in no time.