For the second summer in a row, plenty of eyes were focused on the Cleveland Cavaliers when it came to how free agency played out.

Coming within two wins of an NBA Championship, Cleveland had plenty of internal moves it needed to make in order to remain a legit contender. The team came into the summer with three particularly key free agents to woo: Kevin Love, and to a lesser extent due to their being restricted, Tristan Thompson and Iman Shumpert.

While it was expected Shumpert and Thompson would at least be back on a qualifying offers, many rumors were still surfacing regarding Love’s supposed desire to play elsewhere.  As the clock struck 12:01 this morning, you can bet the Cavs immediately started making plays towards these three.

Less than a full day into free agency, all of these players were checked off the list. Thompson is reportedly ready to sign an extension in excess of $80 million. This news came shortly after Love announced via The Players’ Tribune he was coming back to Cleveland on a five-year, $110 million max contract. And, just a little while ago, Shumpert agreed to a four-year, $40 million deal.

Many Cavs fans came into the offseason understandably nervous. They heard whispers of Love wanting to play on the west coast all season. They watched Thompson turn down a lucrative contract back in October. They came across stories of Shumpert wanting to meet with other teams. They saw LeBron James opt out and, despite word he was expected to re-sign, may have been anxious about his wait-and-see approach to the team’s free agency plans.

And today, those same fans likely let out an exhale large enough to be felt across the entire country. Provided James is satisfied with the team retaining three huge pieces in Love, Thompson and Shumpert, Cleveland once again looks set to make another Finals run next year.

It goes without saying today was enormously important for the Cavs. Sure, Love had stated over and over again he was planning on returning. However, when news broke about Love planning on meeting with the Los Angeles Lakers, Cleveland might have been a tad on edge.

On top of this, while the Cavs surely would’ve moved forward had Love chose to sign elsewhere, you can’t confidently say a team without one of its Big Three could make a similar postseason run next year. Thompson, for as well as he played in the playoffs, just doesn’t bring the same impact as Love.

Now, not only is Love back next year, he’ll be in Cleveland for four more years after that, as well. And he’ll have core players like Thompson and Shumpert along for the ride.

Playing on a contending Cavs team for the first time since being drafted by them in 2011, Thompson thrived in the postseason, especially after Love was injured. With every clutch rebound he collected in the playoffs, you could just see the dollars of his next contract going up.

Shumpert, meanwhile, proved to be the wing defender Cleveland desperately needed this year. Though he was fighting through groin and shoulder injuries near the end of the postseason, he proved just how much of an impact he could provide when he was healthy.

All three contracts the Cavs agreed to today are huge for another reason, as well. It’s been stated over and over again James may not have a ton of prime years left in the tank. Things would’ve been a little dicey if Love specifically would’ve taken one-and-done contracts as had initially been rumored, especially since the threat of him leaving would’ve been present every single offseason.

With he, Shumpert and Thompson all signing multi-year deals, Cleveland now has a strong core set up for quite some time.

To top it off, while each of these contracts will be sizable hits on the team’s salary cap this year, they’ll look so much more appealing next offseason when the cap endures a huge increase. Having these three, Kyrie Irving and (presumably) James on the books while still having room to lure additional free agents could go a long way in determining how wide the Cavs’ window of contention truly is.

Overall, Cleveland couldn’t have started free agency any better. You’d like to assume these moves should be more than enough to get James to re-sign in the coming days. And, with a potential for additional moves to be made, the Cavs may not even be done yet.

Cleveland came so close to a title this past postseason, and with these signings, they’ll certainly be back in the conversation next year.

Casey Drottar is the Cleveland Beat Writer for www.Rantsports.com. Follow him on Twitter or “Like” him on Facebook