Heading into the 2022-23 NBA season, the Cleveland Cavaliers were a team on the rise. After winning 44 wins a season ago, the addition of Donovan Mitchell and improved health was expected to increase that total. Even so, the Cavs weren’t listed among preseason title contenders.
The Phoenix Suns were among the ring of contenders, although their ignominious exit at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks last year and the multiple personality clashes suggested there were serious cracks in the foundation.
The Cleveland Cavaliers and Phoenix Suns could make a deal with Jae Crowder and Cedi Osman. Should the Cavs pull the trigger on the trade?
Now both teams sit at 8-4, and both are clearly among the best teams of the early season. On the surface, neither team needs to make a trade to right the ship; the ships are sailing along, even if they have stumbled a bit this past week. Yet each team has an obvious weak spot in their rotation that could be addressed via trade. For a mediocre team or even a good one, perhaps you paper over. For a contender, you want to shore up any weakness you can find.
To that end, there is a potential trade tossed out by Fanspo, which runs the popular trade machine and is a great way to examine potential deals. Let’s look at the deal in detail, then break down both sides – why would the Suns and Cavs make the trade? Finally, we’ll give a final verdict on whether this one should get done.