After the Dallas Mavericks decided not to pick up his option for the 2017-2018 season, DeAndre Liggins will be available as a free agent this summer. Can he make it back onto the Cleveland Cavaliers’ regular season roster?
Last season, after fighting for a regular season roster spot through Summer League and the preseason, Liggins was a godsend for the Cavs after J.R. Smith fractured his right thumb against the Milwaukee Bucks in December thanks to 19 starts in the latter’s absence. While many would have thought Iman Shumpert would play the role as starting shooting guard with Smith out, Liggins’ defense (he was a two-time Defensive Player of the Year in the NBA G-League) was top-notch; he played so well, hounding point guards to alleviate pressure from Kyrie Irving, he made it impossible for Lue to regret the decision.