Koby Altman solidified the Cleveland Cavaliers’ position as a true Finals contender by trading for De’Andre Hunter ahead of the NBA’s trade deadline.
However, the work isn’t done. The Cavaliers still have one glaring hole on their roster and must add one more player to bring it to 14.
That’s where the buyout market will be an important area for Cleveland over the next week or so.
One player who recently became a free agent after being waived by the Utah Jazz and would be a great fit for the Cavaliers is C Mo Bamba.
Cleveland already needed to add to its frontcourt depth before the deadline, but moving Georges Niang to the Atlanta Hawks in the Hunter deal only makes the situation more dire.
Bamba played in 28 games for the Los Angeles Clippers this season, averaging 4.6 points and 4.3 rebounds while averaging 46 percent from the floor.
Although the former top-10 pick did not light up the world with his stats, he did show that he can provide some value when on the floor, and this is exactly what the Cavaliers need.
Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen will take up the vast majority of minutes at the four and five for the rest of the season. Hunter could even slide up to play some power forward in small-ball scenarios.
However, Cleveland needs another backup center to come into the game and provide minutes in case Allen or Mobley is in foul trouble or, in a nightmare scenario, one of them gets injured.
Signing Bamaba wouldn’t help Cleveland’s chance of winning the Finals this year, but he would be a solid depth piece for a team that needs another big man.
