The Cleveland Cavaliers have shown signs of stardom this season. Unfortunately, they are currently amid a 4-game losing streak. This losing streak may be due to injury and needed time for Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland to gel in the backcourt. The starting lineup has been shaky with Garland, Mitchell, Caris LeVert, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen. The bench has been great with Kevin Love, Dean Wade, and Cedi Osman.
The Cavs can still improve this season, but in order for the Cavs to become a bigger contender, they need to bring on a little more talent. Depth and defense are key to winning a championship. The Golden State Warriors proved that last season, and the Cavaliers might have the pieces to make a deal before or at the deadline.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are much improved this season. What trades can the Cavs pursue to push them even closer to contending in the NBA?
This season has been very strange when it comes to the standings. Many teams like the LA Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers, and Warriors have struggled to get wins this season while teams like the Utah Jazz and Portland Trail Blazers have looked good. With this being said, some teams may be open to making trades, and I believe that the Cavs should jump on that opportunity.
There are two trades that I believe the Cavs should consider. These trades will not involve any players from the Cavs’ starting lineup, for clarification.
Now, I know that there have been rumors that the Cavaliers should go after Phoenix Suns wing Jae Crowder, but these trades do not involve him. Now let’s begin with the first team as a potential trade partner, the 76ers.
The Trade:
Why would the 76ers do this?
Frankly, the 76ers have too many guys taking up too many minutes. Korkmaz and Thybulle averaged 21.1 and 25.5 minutes respectively last season, but that has dropped to 5.6 and 13.1 minutes this season. They used to be key rotation players for the 76ers in the past few seasons, but they got replaced by P.J. Tucker, De’Anthony Melton, and Danuel House Jr.
The 76ers should do this trade to get younger with Isaac Okoro and to get some extra second-rounders for a future deal. Plus, Thybulle is in the last year of his contract and might not return; the 76ers might as well get some assets for him.
Why would the Cavs do this?
Furkan Korkmaz has been a shooter for most of his career. From 2020 to 2022, Korkmaz put up 8.8 points on 40.8% on the floor and 36% from three. He was one of the 76ers key shooters when Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons were the star duo. For the Cavs, he can be another option for the offense and be an efficient wing for them. He isn’t known for his defense, but that is what Thybulle is for.
Matisse Thybulle has been an energetic defender for the 76ers. He isn’t much of a scorer, averaging just 4.6 points, but he has averaged 1.6 steals per game for his career. Thybulle can be a key defender in clutch time and doesn’t have an ego for scoring. He does what is needed of him and does it with heart and effort.
These are examples of key bench lineups that they can be utilized in, too:
- Raul Neto (eventually Ricky Rubio), Furkan Korkmaz, Cedi Osman, Dean Wade, Kevin Love
- Cedi Osman, Matisse Thybulle, Furkan Korkmaz, Dean Wade, Kevin Love
These two could be great for the Cavaliers, but there is another trade they could pursue using a similar package.
The Trade:
Why would the Dallas Mavericks do this?
It will be hard for the Mavs to let him go, but they could do it to get younger and for the picks. Finney-Smith has broken out as a strong wing defender for them in the last few years. He puts up 8.3 points and 4 rebounds on 43.5% on the floor and 32.7% from three.
If he is traded two things can happen: Christian Wood can start and Okoro could break out. Wood has been great as a sixth man but could be better as a starter. From there, head coach Jason Kidd could help in Okoro’s development.
Why would the Cavs do this?
One answer: Dorian Finney-Smith is a win-now player. He is an incredible defender and is unselfish, and he is seemingly okay with starting or coming off the bench.
Finney-Smith can also fit into the Cavaliers system seamlessly, as he would be able to help the Mobley-Allen defense tremendously and is fast enough to guard guards.
These could be possible lineups for the Cavs with Finney-Smith:
- Garland, Mitchell, Finney-Smith, Mobley, and Allen
Rubio, Osman, Finney-Smith, Wade, and Love
I believe that these trades could be beneficial for the Wine and Gold; the Cavs just need to pull the trigger on one of them.