3 trade targets for the Cavs to upgrade their forward depth

3 trade targets for the Cavs: Justin Holiday, Sacramento Kings

The Cavs have been without the league’s most valuable role player commodity for years: the 3-and-D small forward. Having an elite passer running point, or a combo forward, or a big who can defend in space, protect the rim and space the floor – those are all excellent things for a team to have in a star player, but for a role player? The modern NBA demands players who can shoot, defend and not need a lot of touches.

That description fits Justin Holiday perfectly, as the journeyman wing is solid without needing the ball. He has vascillated between the bench and the starting lineup over the past few seasons, and while his shot has had the normal up-and-downs of any shooter, his career mark is 36.5 percent and he shot an even better 38.8 percent while with the Indiana Pacers before he was moved to the Kings at the trade deadline.

Holiday has quick hands and solid fundamentals, and when he is paired with other good defenders he shines in his role. On the Cavs he’ll have just that sort of support, and could immediately fill the role the Cavs hope Ochai Agbaji grows into. Holiday won a title with the 2015 Golden State Warriors and has only been back to the playoffs once since, so he will likely thrive on a winning team once more.

Holiday could be swapped evenly for Cedi Osman, perhaps with a second-round pick sent to the Kings to make it worth their while. Everything Osman has been in flashes for the Cavs Holiday is consistently every season, and he would be the perfect addition to the roster to upgrade their forward depth.