The Cleveland Cavaliers have had a rough start in the 2017 NBA Finals. As they try to defend their title against the Golden State Warriors, they've dropped the first two games on the road.
Coming back to Cleveland for Games 3 and 4, the Cavs will try to avoid a sweep. Even if LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love can't complete a historic comeback like they did in the 2016 Finals, winning a game will be important.
That's because, if the Warriors end up sweeping the Cavaliers, Cleveland may have no choice but to blow things up this offseason.
The Warriors' offseason addition of Kevin Durant has changed everything, making Golden State an even tougher team to handle. Therefore, the Cavs may have to pursue a new superstar - someone like Carmelo Anthony or Chris Paul.
Both players are good friends with LeBron, but it would take a lot to bring them to Cleveland. Here's a look at how the Cavaliers could make a move for each superstar work.
Carmelo Anthony
If the Cavaliers are indeed swept by the Warriors, they may decide it's time to shake up the LeBron-Kyrie-Love big three.
To add Anthony to the mix, Love would be the one who likely has to go, as a Melo-for-Love trade may be enticing to the Knicks, who would love a guy like Love to pair with star center Kristaps Porzingis.
Love and Anthony have similar salaries, so the move could work, and Melo would likely waive his no-trade clause to team up with LeBron.
In this scenario, the Cavs would sacrifice some rebounding that Love provided, but if Tristan Thompson is ready to take another step forward next season, they could live with that.
Meanwhile, Melo is still one of the game's best pure scorers. Teaming him up with a guy like LeBron, who is as talented as a passer as he is a scorer, would be great for Anthony's career.
Chris Paul
Signing CP3 will be tougher for the Cavaliers, as the Clippers can offer him a maximum extension worth more than $200 million over five years.
It's unlikely Paul would take significantly less than that to chase a ring, but Durant took a slight pay cut to come to the Warriors last summer.
Also complicating matters is the fact that the Cavaliers already have a star point guard in Kyrie Irving. Though Irving is a talented enough shooter that he could slide over to the 2 spot, he is more effective with the ball in his hands.
The Cavaliers could make it work, but again, it would likely involve trading Love to a new team to make room to fit whatever contract CP3 signs.
From there, the Cleveland bench would have to take a hit, as the Cavs wouldn't have much room to spend money on complementary players. Guys like Deron Williams and Kyle Korver could return if they were willing to accept a minimum contract, but players like Channing Frye (and maybe even J.R. Smith) would have to be moved to make room for Paul.
Whether or not adding Paul to the Cavs even makes sense is up for debate, but one thing is for sure - if that's what LeBron decides he wants, the Cavaliers would be wise to do what it takes to make him happy.