The Cleveland Cavaliers should target a Mikal Bridges trade

While it may seem horribly unrealistic for the Cleveland Cavaliers to land Mikal Bridges, a major piece for a contending team in the Phoenix Suns, this type of trade is actually not too far outside of the realm of possibility.

The first thing that would need to happen is the Brooklyn Nets actually trading Kevin Durant and not just ignoring his request due to the four years remaining on his contract.

This would make the Cavs one of the few teams hoping that Durant gets traded to another team, outside of maybe a few overconfident Golden State Warriors fans hoping to prove that Stephen Curry is better than his former teammate.

This would leave the Suns needing to move players to make salaries work, meaning Mikal Bridges and Deandre Ayton likely both will have to be moved.

It is very possible that Ayton ends up signing with the Atlanta Hawks (subscription required) in a sign-and-trade move involving John Collins, another fringe star who has often been mentioned in trade rumors.

This could work out in a huge trade similar to the James Harden trade from early in the 2020-21 season.

Brooklyn involved in a superstar trade with multiple players finding new homes to make contracts work, Cleveland being involved as a cap dumping ground, per se. Seems familiar.

The Cavaliers were able to jump into the Harden trade as a team that took on cap for very little value and was mostly involved to make contracts work. They could play a very similar role in a Kevin Durant trade scenario.

Mikal Bridges is a player that wouldn’t quite fit on the Nets, even if they decide to try to win a championship built around Ben Simmons. His play style is questionable next to Simmons, who would likely prefer to play with Seth Curry and Joe Harris over Bridges anyway.

This would leave the Cavs as a team that can swoop in to take advantage of the way the salary works out and become a team that takes in a high-value player with a high contract for a few players on smaller contracts.

Caris LeVert would likely be the player on the chopping block as he is a wing who has disappointed on both ends of the floor with inconsistent shooting and an overall lack of effort on defense at times.

LeVert often struggled with the Cavaliers as he isn’t efficient off the ball and giving him the rock was less effective than giving the ball to All-Star Darius Garland, making him a difficult fit on the Cavs, especially with Collin Sexton likely returning for next season it seems.

Lamar Stevens would likely also have to be moved for this trade to work while also keeping Sexton during restrictred free agency. Although, neither Stevens nor LeVert would be missed too much if they were replaced by a player like Mikal Bridges.

In this sense, the Cavaliers would have to include a future first-round pick as well, with say, their 2025 first-rounder being involved here, top-5 protected.

If the Cleveland Cavaliers are able to bring home another star in a trade like they did with Jarrett Allen, it would be huge for the roster and their chances of contending, likely putting them on the path for another championship in the coming years.

If anything, the Cavs should at least be exploring this possibility with Bridges, given how they were able to land a core piece in Allen.