How about by becoming even better next season?

Cleveland’s roster might have been the second most expensive in NBA history, costing around $160 million in combined payroll and luxury taxes, but it still had its fair share of flaws. James and Kyrie Irving, whose three-pointer with 53 seconds left in Game 7 to put the Cavaliers ahead for good will forever be remembered in Cleveland, were constant forces throughout this series, Tristan Thompson’s defense and rebounding were vital and J.R. Smith made shots when it mattered.

Everyone else? Well, they were a mixed bag. Kevin Love played about as well as he could defensively at times – particularly his defense on Stephen Curry inside the final minute of Game 7 – but still is significantly lacking on that end of the floor, and essentially plays the same position as both James and Thompson. Iman Shumpert had his moments, but has never developed the jumper necessary to make him a true two-way player.

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Matthew Dellavedova was benched halfway through the series due to ineffectiveness, leaving 33-year-old Mo Williams to play in his place, while Richard Jefferson – one of the few players who was consistently effective for Cleveland outside of its mainstays — is retiring after winning his first title in 15 NBA seasons.

So, no, the Cavaliers aren’t expected to bring back the exact same team next season, despite this group snapping over a half-century’s worth of sporting misery in Cleveland. At least some changes are anticipated – with the possibility of big ones. And there is no bigger potential change on the horizon than a Love trade.

Ever since Love arrived from Minnesota in a trade for Andrew Wiggins two years ago, he’s struggled to find his place within Cleveland’s system. Unlike the Big Three the Miami Heat put together with James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, the fact both Irving and Love are deficient defensive players makes it awkward for Cleveland to play against the best teams without being exploited. And, as Jefferson’s impact on this series when playing in place of Love showed, the Cavaliers can be devastating when playing with James power forward with strong shooters supporting him. That is only possible with Love either on the bench or elsewhere.

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Given Cleveland’s lack of reliable depth options on the wing – they only have Shumpert under contract, while Smith is an unrestricted free agent, though he is expected to be retained – the most obvious move would be to trade Love for a combination of wing depth to allow the Cavaliers to better maximize their roster.

Though he might not have performed at a consistently high level with the Cavaliers, Love’s value on the trade market remains high. Between the combination of Love’s contract – a below market $68 million the next three years, made particularly palatable with the rising salary cap – and his prodigious scoring, passing and rebounding skills, there’s little doubt Love could still fetch a significant price in exchange.

Could the Boston Celtics, interested in Love for years, potentially offer some combination of Marcus Smart, Avery Bradley, Jae Crowder and their plethora of draft picks? Could the longstanding rumors of some sort of Love swap for New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony – who also happens to be close friends with LeBron James – gain traction once again? With Love under contract for three more years and without a no-trade clause, there likely will be no shortage of suitors.

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The questions in Cleveland, however, don’t stop there. The Cavaliers still have to make sure they bring back Smith – which, after his impressive playoff performance, will likely require a steep raise from the roughly $5.6 million he was supposed to make next season before opting out of his contract. After Dellavedova was benched for the last few games of the Finals, perhaps his price as a restricted free agent will drop to a range more appealing to the Cavaliers. Timofey Mozgov, however, is almost certainly set to depart after a disappointing season that saw him become a complete non-factor in the playoffs.

Even without any changes, the continued development of Coach Tyronn Lue should also benefit the Cavaliers next season. After he was elevated earlier this season by general manager David Griffin to take over for David Blatt despite Cleveland’s 30-11 record, Lue both earned the respect of the locker room and made smart tactical adjustments during the playoffs to win a championship a few short months later.

With Cleveland far over the salary cap, the Cavaliers will be limited in their options. Free agents will likely be more interested in signing there for cheap given the championship halo that will hover over Cleveland for the next year, but it still won’t be easy unless the Cavaliers can reduce their payroll. That’s another reason trading Love to add depth to the roster makes sense.