The Cleveland Cavalies will try to avoid being swept tonight at the hands of the Knicks, and the Detroit Pistons will be watching closely, as the fallout could affect them in several ways.
The Cavs haven't shown up much since beating the Pistons, which is frustrating, as it now appears Detroit might have been a better matchup for the Knicks than Cleveland is, but the Pistons have no one to blame but themselves.
The Cavaliers finally broke through to the conference finals, which might have been enough to spare them this offseason, but getting swept is going to put some big questions under the microscope
Will the Cavaliers blow things up if they get swept?
The Cavs are one of the most expensive teams in the NBA, so if they get swept, they will have to ask themselves some tough questions. It's hard to see Cleveland doing a complete teardown, but they could trade one of their stars to reconfigure their roster.
Pistons fans are already dreaming about the idea of Donovan Mitchell or Evan Mobley but those will likely remain in the dreamworld, as it's hard to see a scenario in which either one of them ends up in Detroit.
Both those guys are on max deals that would be difficult to match in a trade, and I highly doubt Cleveland wants to hand over the division to the up-and-coming team that just took them to seven games.
However, they have other role players who will be free agents in Dean Wade and Keon Ellis. Wade did a decent job on Cade Cunningham in the playoffs and is a big shooter, who would be an upgrade on the bench.
Ellis has barely gotten off the bench in the playoffs, which is somewhat surprising, but he's another possible 3-and-D option for the Pistons' bench.
The real issue isn't if Cleveland blows it up, it's if they don't.
The Cavaliers could make the big swing instead
I feel like the Cavaliers are going to go the other direction and go all-in on an upgrade, namely Giannis Antetokounmpo, as they are uniquely positioned to get him.
They could trade Evan Mobley and picks to the Bucks for Giannis, re-sign James Harden and come back with an even older team. I actually hope they go this route, as that team would be one injury away at all times, though obviously I'd rather see Giannis traded out of the division.
There are going to be big changes in the central division this offseason regardless of what happens to the Cavs, but if they get swept, it could lead to even more drama this offseason that could impact the Pistons.
Add us as a preferred source on Google