Cavs should try to trade Collin Sexton for one of these wings
Cavs should try to trade Collin Sexton for Joe Harris
The Brooklyn Nets could be a championship contender this season. If they wait out Kevin Durant and he plays out the year, Ben Simmons and Joe Harris are healthy and play up to past levels, and new additions like Royce O’Neale and TJ Warren play well, suddenly this team is as talented as any in the Eastern Conference.
The other side of the coin is that Durant is traded, and then Kyrie Irving likely would follow him out the door to the Los Angeles Lakers or Dallas Mavericks. In that scenario, the Nets would be trying to reset their roster around Ben Simmons. Collin Sexton could step in as an on-ball scorer on Simmons’ age timeline, and acquiring him could allow the Nets to get off of the salary of Joe Harris in return.
Harris missed last season due to a nasty ankle injury, but he’s not necessarily “injury prone” and prior to last year was viewed as one of the league’s premier 3-and-D wings. He is a career 43.9 percent shooter from deep, with five-straight seasons shooting at least 41.9 percent and two years leading the league in accuracy. He would immediately transform the Cavaliers’ spacing.
Defensively he may lose a step after this ankle injury, but he is solid and unlikely to be targeted in the way that Caris LeVert or Sexton saw extra attention. With the backline of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, Harris could provide solid work on the wings as something a step down from a stopper.
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Harris is due the most money over the next two seasons, $18.6 million this year and $19.9 the next, but if healthy he is worth it and more. If the Cavs have a chance to swap Sexton for Harris, or Reggie Bullock, or Gary Harris, they should look long and hard at which player helps them compete at the highest levels. It’s likely that the answer will be the wings, and that could set the stage for a trade.