2 logical trade targets from Jazz the Cavs should consider

Logical Cavs trade target #2 from the Jazz: Jarred Vanderbilt

The second player that’d I’d be most on-board with as a trade target from Utah, excluding Donovan Mitchell, given what the colossal asking price would be, is Jarred Vanderbilt. Vanderbilt, like Beasley, is another player that was sent to Utah as part of the Gobert trade, and couldn’t dealt with another player until August 30, as an aside.

In regards to my rationale for Vanderbilt as a trade target, while he’s not a shooter by any stretch of the imagination at the moment outside of the paint, he would be an impact defensive forward to have for stretches.

The Cavaliers would have to figure things out as far as his frontcourt pairings, however, Vanderbilt could provide Cleveland with a hell of a young defensive player that could match up with opposing forwards, more than hold his own for stretches. Additionally, with his instincts, timing and athleticism off-ball, he’d help guys such as Lauri Markkanen and Caris LeVert.

Vanderbilt demonstrated his defensive abilities often with Minnesota in a pairing with Karl-Anthony Towns, and again, though the shooting is not there, the Cavs could benefit from Vanderbilt’s versatility defensively, and his playmaking on that end.

In the past two seasons after he was moved via trade as part of the multi-team deal also including Beasley, Vanderbilt benefited from a contributing role with Minnesota, and had 1.9 steals per-36 minutes. He had a robust 2.8 percent block rate in his time with the Timberwolves as well.

The 6-foot-9 Vanderbilt is an impactful rebounder in his own right, too, and in his last two seasons, had rebounding percentages of 15.8 and 15.3 percent with Minnesota. His defensive rebounding percentage of 21.2 percent was higher than that of the aforementioned Towns last season, along with bruisers such as Kevon Looney, Al Horford and Steven Adams, for context.

As we alluded to, Vanderbilt has a ways to go offensively, but he is a smart cutter, can make plays with positioning on putbacks, and is a legit rolling presence. He is a terrific finisher at the rim, which could be useful, but he’s still on the raw side overall offensively, and is a non-threat from three, as evidenced by him 3-of-21 lifetime from deep (14.3 percent).

He did have 8.4 rebounds per contest last season, however, and despite offensive limitations, he is still only 23, and it is understandable why Vanderbilt has already received “significant” trade interest from other clubs, per Fischer’s report. He’s signed through two more seasons at $4.4 and $4.7 million, with the 2023-24 season only guaranteed for $300,000, which plays into the interest. He looks to maybe be a heck of a bargain for what he’s able to do defensively and on the glass, in any case.

Now, in my opinion, I still believe we could very well end up seeing news of Sexton and the Cavs eventually coming to terms on a long-term deal, as there reportedly still is mutual interest from both sides. Dammarell mentioned in his report that it’s still unlikely a sign-and-trade does transpire involving Sexton, too, and with what Sexton has provided for the Cavaliers, I’d prefer him being here for the long haul, personally. He’ll reportedly be all set health-wise for the beginning of next season, also.

But if a trade involving him with the Jazz were to play out in the offseason, the two Jazz players I’d think would make the most sense in a deal involving Sexton and perhaps Windler, Osman and a future second-rounder would be Beasley and Vanderbilt. Given the compensation required, I’d prefer that sort of deal more than giving up the farm for Mitchell.