The Cleveland Cavaliers have formed an exciting, young, small backcourt with Collin Sexton and Darius Garland and are looking to make the necessary moves to improve their fit on the court. Outside of that guard tandem, the on-ball/guard play on the team is one of, if not the worst in the NBA. The Cavs tried their hand at many different players to fill that backup guard role and just about every single one of them failed.
Putting it bluntly, it’s obvious that backup point guards are a priority for the team. This year’s free agency includes realistic point guard options for the Cavaliers such as T.J. McConnell, Alex Caruso, Patty Mills, and Ish Smith, and as far as McConnell and Caruso, both are reported potential targets, to that point.
The only issue is that the Cavaliers won’t be the only team looking to add these guards and considering their limited cap and team state, it wouldn’t be hard for opposing suitors to win those guys over.
With this in mind, it seems likely for the Cavaliers to acquire a backup lead guard through trades. The likely assets for the Cavs to part ways with are Taurean Prince, Dylan Windler, the abundance of second-round picks they have acquired through trades, and other low-cost assets on the team.
With rumors starting to heat up, quality guards could become available and it’s up to the team to hop on opportunities.
With that said, here, we will look at three potential guards for the Cavs to target via trade, with all three having lead guard abilities.
The first potential target is a bigger guard that’s in Cleveland’s Central Division.
Cavs potential backup PG target #1: Tomas Satoransky
Of the three guards discussed in this article, Tomas Satoransky seems to have the best fit for this Cavaliers team. This past season, the 6-foot-7 guard saw his role diminish for the Chicago Bulls as he went from a starter to a reserve role. The Bulls made an aggressive move during this past season’s trade deadline, acquiring Nikola Vucevic in exchange for young talent and draft picks.
Considering the guard talent available during free agency, many can expect the Bulls to be active in adding one. With that as well as his current role, Satoransky looks to be expendable and the Cavaliers should pounce on this potential opportunity.
A potential Satoransky trade between the Bulls-Cavs should be centered on a Sato-Taurean Prince swap, as well as future second-round pick/picks if necessary. This move for the Bulls helps them improve their wing depth, adding one in Prince that fits their current core with his versatility, shooting, and potential on-ball play.
Looking at this trade for the Cavaliers, acquiring a 6-foot-7 combo guard adds an aspect that this team has been seeking. Over the last two seasons, Sato has shown the capabilities of being the lead facilitator as he averaged 5.4 assists and 4.7 assists in the 19-20 and 20-21 seasons, respectively. Another aspect of his game that has improved was his ability to play alongside a main ball-handler.
The advances made in his off-ball game are what really enhance his fit on the team. As his role largened, Sato looked for other ways to improve his offensive game and thus would improve his off-ball shooting. This now-past season was a career-year for him involving catch-and-shoot threes as 31.2 percent of his shots came from this area where he shot 38.2 percent on 1.8 attempts per game, per NBA.com’s shot tracking data.
Satoransky checks off all the boxes when it comes to what the Cavaliers should look for in a backup guard to play alongside Darius Garland-Collin Sexton in spurts; size, versatility, shooting, and playmaking.
If the Cavs are aggressive in adding guard play via trade, Sato makes the most sense and should be a high-priority player considering the assets that the Wine and Gold would seemingly want to use.
Cavs potential backup PG target #2: Kris Dunn
Drafted fifth overall in the 2016 NBA Draft, Kris Dunn looked to be the player to complete the Minnesota Timberwolves’ rebuild. Instead, just five years later, a limited offensive game and injury issues have him still searching for a steady role in the NBA.
After an All-Defensive-level season with the Chicago Bulls in 2019-20, Dunn signed a 2-year, $10-million deal with the Atlanta Hawks. As stated earlier, injuries essentially took him out of the rotation, and with the acquisition of Lou Williams, Dunn’s time with the Hawks may already be over.
Dunn has a $5 million player option that he has until July 28 to make a decision on and seeing as his market may be low in free agency due to his limited play, it would make sense for him to accept it. That would in turn give him the opportunity to improve his free agency interest for the following offseason as a healthy campaign similar to his Bulls’ one in 19-20 could help put him back on the radar.
A potential trade for Dunn would be cost-efficient for the Cavaliers, likely costing them someone like Damyean Dotson and a protected second-round pick if needed. This move would save the Hawks about $2.5 million for an offseason where they could look to be aggressive.
For the Cavs, Dunn’s defensive abilities would help an area that was lacking at times for the team. Many can envision that Dunn’s role would be similar to that of the one he had during his time with Chicago, guarding the opposing team’s top perimeter players while using his quickness on the offensive end to be a slasher and create for others.
Looking at his fit alongside Darius Garland or Collin Sexton in spurts, his on-ball opportunities could increase at times seeing as both of the team’s young guards can operate without the ball. As an off-ball player, players could find Dunn slashing as this is a strong suit of his — during that 19-20 season, Dunn shot 64.7 percent at the rim.
A move like this would be a low-risk, high-reward one for the Cavs and would give Dunn an opportunity to find that steady role that he has been searching for.
Cavs potential backup PG target #3: Tyus Jones
The last player that will be discussed in today’s article also looks to be the hardest one for the Cavaliers to acquire. Tyus Jones has blossomed into a near-infallible player as his efficient shot selection and playmaking abilities make him a textbook point guard.
Over the last three seasons, Jones averaged 4.3 assists to just 0.7 assists per game which gives him a historically great assist-to-turnover ratio as well as him having a career-high 91.1 percent from the free throw line last season, albeit on just 45 total attempts.
For as efficient Jones has been on the offensive end, there has been a lot to be desired as the biggest gripe for Jones is that he looks to be too timid on that end. For Jones to reach a new level offensively, he must be more aggressive with the ball in his hands, looking to find his shot, attack the rim, and become a better shooter.
The Memphis Grizzlies having De’Anthony Melton to back up Ja Morant makes Tyus Jones expendable and there may be a chance for the Cavs to package a deal to acquire him. The best assets that the team could put forth in hopes of acquiring Jones would be centered on Taurean Prince as the bulk of the trade with Dylan Windler and future seconds being sweeteners.
Adding more wing shooting and versatility would help the Grizzlies enhance their offense and improve the core around Morant.
Looking at this potential trade from the Cavaliers’ point of view, Jones would give the team a competent guard who makes limited mistakes with the potential to improve offensively with a bigger role.
This trade would weaken the team’s versatility as Jones is another small guard but the fit alongside the young guard tandem, and especially with Sexton, still would project to be fine.