The Cleveland Cavaliers would be wise to trade a few veterans mid-season, or shortly after next season concludes, but getting a big-name player set to hit the 2019 free agent market in the middle of the season would be ill-advised.
The Cleveland Cavaliers need to give head coach Tyronn Lue time to figure out who is going to be in his regular rotation for the near future. I would assume that Cleveland would likely go with a rotation that is fluid, given that it will take time to establish the team hierarchy outside first option Kevin Love. As we’ve mentioned throughout the offseason here at KJG, it appears that with how the Cavaliers have now built their roster, they’re looking to get younger. That doesn’t mean they’re going to just completely tank, though.
To begin the season, I would think Lue will play his returning veterans big minutes, considering he has the most familiarity with them. Players such as J.R. Smith, Kyle Korver, George Hill and Tristan Thompson will get their chances to showcase they can still be big contributors, even with Cleveland having younger players at their respective positions in Collin Sexton, Larry Nance Jr. and others.
Nonetheless, it’s hard to see the Cavs not at least try to unload Smith, Korver and Hill, given those three’s non-fully-guaranteed contract structures for the 2019-20 season. With each of them having team-friendly contracts, they could be financially attractive to other NBA teams (which could be either contenders or teams simply attracted to non-guaranteed deals).
In turn, that would help Cleveland clear cap space going into next summer. Keeping Smith, Korver and Hill does not make much sense after this season (or even for the entirety of 2018-19), due to Cleveland needing to further develop pieces like Sexton, Rodney Hood, and Cedi Osman (who play the same positions as those three aging veterans).
Along with the financial reasons to move the older pieces, “if the Cavs found a willing trade partner, they’d consider moving” TT, per Cleveland.com’s Joe Vardon.
Moreover, with there being a number of notable free agents set to hit the open market or restricted free agents that will warrant big offer sheets, it would be ideal if Cleveland could at least have a chance to throw their hat in the ring next summer to help Love over the next few years.
That being said, if the Cavs do potentially trade some combination of Smith, Korver, Hill or maybe even Thompson, they shouldn’t be going after players that could be an expiring mid-season rental. Current Minnesota Timberwolve Jimmy Butler would be a prime example of that possibility.
Butler is set to be an unrestricted free agent next summer, and would certainly warrant a maximum deal with his two-way ability. Butler averaged 22.2 points, 4.9 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game last year.
According to The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski, Butler, Minnesota head coach Tom Thibodeau and general manager Scott Layden will meet today “to have honest conversations about the All-Star’s future with the team.”
Per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Butler’s rocky relationship with another Minnesota star figures to be a major point of emphasis, and it could jeopardize the state of the franchise moving into the near future, even with Butler and Thibodeau in large part on the same page.
"“The Thibodeau-Butler relationship has been largely strong since the Bulls drafted in 2011, but Butler’s partnership with young star Karl-Anthony Towns has been strained and remains an obstacle to the 2018-19 team’s success — and perhaps the ability to sign Butler to a new contract next summer, league sources said.”"
Wojnarowski then went on to demonstrate how upper management around the NBA isn’t buying a mending of fences in Minnesota, and that a trade could be looming.
"“The Timberwolves are negotiating a rookie extension with Towns that could be completed before the start of the season. Rival executives believe that Butler could come available on the market by the February trade deadline if Minnesota fears that it will lose him for nothing in July free agency.”"
Although it could be a good time to pounce with a team not wanting to lose a star for nothing, I don’t find this type of move to be intelligent long-term. Getting an Alpha-type player such as Butler would likely still take a lot on Cleveland’s end, and it could stunt the growth of a young core.
On the other hand, what sort of trades I would get behind in the middle of next season would involve Cleveland acquiring either players with contracts that could simply provide cap relief, or the acquisition of future draft assets. If the Cavs want to make a splash in the summer of 2019 and sign a big-name player to a huge long-term deal, that’s understandable, but in the middle of the season, that wouldn’t be a prudent move.
Instead, develop your young players and try to sneak your way into the postseason or if the season is going completely south, try to go with a full-rebuild approach and keep your 1-10 protected 2019 NBA Draft pick that would go to the Atlanta Hawks if you win too many games.