Cavs: Cedi Osman would seem to be potential trade candidate

The potential wing minutes outlook for the Cavs

Osman again I’d probably expect to be Cleveland’s starting 3 come their first game of 2020-21, but he could at some point be an odd man out, if you will. Clearly, I’d think Dylan Windler, when looking at next season, should have a key bench role, and though I wouldn’t expect Windler to start next season, he could feasibly cut into Osman’s 3 minutes.

And Windler, who hit 40.6 percent of his three-point attempts in a four-year collegiate career at Belmont, and is a highly capable three-level scorer and impressive finisher, could down the road be Cleveland’s long-term starting 3, anyhow.

So could potentially 2020 NBA Draft prospects Deni Avdija, Isaac Okoro or Devin Vassell, albeit Vassell wouldn’t seem to be nearly as in-play for Cleveland in the upcoming draft.

But factoring in Avdija’s having a higher ceiling than Osman offensively, even though his shot needs to be more consistent, and Okoro being such a switchable/athletic defender with high playmaking/finishing upside, I’d imagine they’d push Osman to a reserve role fairly early on if either were drafted by Cleveland.

That said, it does seem increasingly likely that Obi Toppin will be selected by Cleveland at #5 in the 2020 NBA Draft. However, even while I wouldn’t personally want it to be the case with the Cavs appearing to likely have to part ways with valuable potential trade pieces I’d rather look to move later on and/or future assets, maybe Okoro, for example, could be acquired in addition to Toppin.

According to a report from ESPN’s Jonathan Givony (subscription required), the Cavs, although they could be considering Okoro or Onyeka Okongwu at #5, could look to potentially acquire either with Obi, especially if Cleveland can get back into the top 10 for either via trade. Givony noted how the Cavs are “active in the trade market,” for further context.

So while I personally would rather Cleveland not look to add another top 10 pick in a relatively down 2020 NBA Draft, maybe that could net Okoro some way. But again, whether or not Cleveland looks to acquire another pick in Wednesday’s draft, if they were to add a wing such as Avdija, Okoro or Vassell, some way, some how, any of those prospects would seem to cut into Osman’s minutes-share in the near future.

Lastly, in it’d seem a more realistic scenario, the Cavaliers seeking a rumored free agent target wing such as Josh Jackson, Pat Connaughton, Glenn Robinson III or restricted free agent target Wes Iwundu, could all cut into Osman’s minutes-share, also as an alternative.

And of those potential targets, seemingly via some or maybe all of Cleveland’s $8-10 million non-taxpayer mid-level exception, provided Tristan Thompson were not back, per a report from Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor, Iwundu might be the most appealing to me. That’s when considering his defensive capabilities.

Iwundu is a high level defender that is a multi-positional defender at that, sits and slides well, can get skinny in pick-and-roll coverage, and his 7-foot-1 wingspan really bothers shooters.

Plus, Bleacher Report’s Dan Favale, who mentioned Iwundu as a potential Cavs target before, touched on how Iwundu closed out last season hitting 42.9 percent of his three-point attempts Jan 1. onward, even though the volume was hardly high.

When you weigh the scenarios, and take into account how Kevin Porter Jr. could seemingly very well play some 3 man minutes, too, Osman could feasibly end up not playing much for Cleveland. That’s more so down the road to me in next season, though, as I’d think Cedi plays a bunch early on and still could get some legitimate bench minutes, anyhow.

Secondly, the other reason Cedi Osman could be a potential trade candidate is, factoring in his possible minutes-share being shrunk in time, him having a team-friendly contract looking onward that could involved in a package with others.