WESTLAKE, Ohio -- Finishing the 2018-19 season with a 19-63 record -- tied for the second-worst in the league -- the Cleveland Cavaliers are only at the start of what appears to be a multiyear rebuild.
According to one person with firsthand experience with the team, however, the Cavs may not be as far away from returning to contention as they seem.
On Tuesday, recently retired Cleveland big man Channing Frye sat down with WKYC's Will Ujek for the latest installment of Let's Be Clear. In doing so, the 35-year-old Frye discussed the state of his now former team, which he says possesses plenty of reasons for optimism entering the upcoming offseason.
"If we kept the team pat, there's really only one or two things we really need," Frye said. "We have a championship frontcourt and I think we have a very young but growing backcourt. I think, for me, you look at Colin [Sexton], you look at Jordan [Clarkson], you look at Cedi [Osman], you look at Delly [Matthew Dellavedova] coming back next year, that's a really solid backcourt.
"Then in the frontcourt, you have Tristan [Thompson], Larry [Nance Jr.], Kevin [Love], Marquese [Chriss], John Henson. These are playoff-ready veteran big men. These are championship-level big men."
As for what the Cavs do need, Frye said he'd keep that to himself. But he did admit the team could stand to add some "bigger shooting," which would fit the modern trends of the NBA.
With two first-round picks in the upcoming NBA Draft -- including the best odds possible of landing the No. 1 overall selection -- Cleveland will have the opportunity to acquire just that. The Cavs also possess plenty of trade chips in the form of expiring contracts to make deals in the offseason ahead, including J.R. Smith's valuable non-guaranteed salary.
How Cleveland will go about fillings its holes -- and just how many it truly possesses at this point -- will be determined in the weeks and months ahead. But more than any one player, Frye believes that the most import thing the Cavs can do is continue to build on the foundation he helped lay.
"Just continue to grow this team to make sure this team is continuing the culture we helped establish regardless of wins and losses and continue it next year," Frye said. "You don't need to add a lot. Just one or two more pieces and you'll be pretty solid to make the playoffs next year."
