The Cleveland Cavaliers could be open to the possibility of signing incoming free-agent power forward Andray Blatche, whose contract with his current CBA team expires in March.
With the departure of Timofey Mozgov, the Cavaliers found themselves a bit short-handed in their frontline. Beyond presumptive starting center Tristan Thompson and forward Kevin Love, the Cavaliers don't have much size on that bench.
Channing Frye can provide outside shooting and newly acquired center Chris Anderson offer a physical presence in the interior, but the Cavs are far from becoming a well-rounded squad.
Blatche, who averaged 10.1 points and 5.4 rebounds over during his time with the Washington Wizards and the Brooklyn Nets, could be the help the Cavs are looking for as he tries to resume his NBA career next year.
Why Cavs is perfect landing spot for Blatche?
The 6-foot-11 Blatche will enter the final year of his contract with Xinjiang Flying Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association after signing a three-year, $7.5 million deal in 2014. He's expected to be available in the free-agency market around late March to early April.
The Cavaliers are viewed as one of the front-runners for Blatche's service since they can offer him the best chance of winning a title off a three-year stop in China.
And although signing with the Cavs isn't financially rewarding (they can offer just a veteran minimum), a spot on a title contender presents an opportunity to earn more money the following summer, just ask Mozgov and Matthew Dellavedova.
Blatche's unique ability to score in the paint (46 percent career FG%) and knock down long jumpers (27 percent 3-point shooting) would be huge for the Cavs, whose offense predicated on floor-spacing. And while Blatche isn't known as a defensive enforcer, his overall skills-set is enough for him to gain significant playing time behind Thompson and Love.
Potential competitors for Blatche's service:
The Cavaliers might be the favorites to sign Blatche, but that doesn't meant they have no competitions. The Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, Denver Nuggets and other teams with still enough cap space to give Blatche more dollars should be considered serious contenders for his service.