After losing LeBron James once again in free agency, the Cleveland Cavaliers' only untouchable may be 2018 first-round pick Collin Sexton, according to ESPN's Brian Windhorst.
This means that the Cavaliers could be ready to blow the roster up and kickstart a rebuild, following four straight trips to the Eastern Conference Finals. The Cavs' lack of depth was widely exposed throughout 2018-19, and it's fair to say this team will struggle to even make the playoffs without James.
If the Cavaliers make their players available, they can expect several offers for All-Star center Kevin Love, who would certainly appeal to contenders needing an upgrade in the front court.
Cleveland could also receive multiple offers for veterans such as George Hill, J.R. Smith, Tristan Thompson and three-point sniper Kyle Korver. Though none of these players are superstars, teams needing depth could certainly make a play for the veterans. Given their high salaries, Cleveland likely wouldn't ask for much in return, either.
As for Collin Sexton, the Cavaliers drafted him with the eighth-overall pick (obtained from the Boston Celtics in the Kyrie Irving trade), in this year's draft. Sexton figures to be their point guard of the future, and there's no reason for them to surrender a potential franchise cornerstone.
James - who signed with the Los Angeles Lakers - had little reason to come back to a Cleveland team that lacked roster depth, salary cap space and trade assets to land more stars. Unlike his departure from the Cavaliers in 2010, this one didn't receive much criticism from the public.
Without James, the Cavaliers certainly won't contend for championships, and it only makes sense to unload veterans and thus load up on young assets. LeBron brought them that championship in 2016, but it's time for the Cavs to hit the restart button without him now.