As of now, the Cleveland Cavaliers have been putting the Eastern Conference on notice. So far, they are sitting third in the East with a 13-7 record. They have also gotten to this record with the injury bug trying to mess with them as well.
Through these injuries, the Cavs have shown the resilience of being able to win as a team, not just winning through their stars. Their role players have been able to step up when the starters have been injured or struggled and have shown the rest of the NBA that they have given the Cavs a strong depth. They are a clear top team in the league right now.
With this being said, can they still improve? The Cavs have a strong starting lineup consisting of Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. Their starting small forward spot has been a constant rotation of Caris LeVert, Dean Wade, and Lamar Stevens. Here is the question: can any of these guys be moved?
Who could the Cavs look to trade for an upgrade?
Dean Wade has been an amazing guy for the Cavs and in my opinion, should not be traded. Wade has been perhaps the most versatile player for the Cavs with being able to be a strong fit at the wing and as a big. Lamar Stevens wouldn’t be able to bring enough value back in a trade. This leaves Caris LeVert.
LeVert has been a good fill-in when Garland was injured and has been putting up decent stats. So far, he has been putting up 11.6 points, 4.9 assists, and 4.5 rebounds. LeVert does have the worst shooting percentage on the Cavs with 36.4% from the floor, but he is shooting 37.3% from the perimeter.
Caris LeVert has an expiring contract of about $18.8 million. The Cavs have not signed him to an extension, but they could trade him to get some good value. The Cavs do have an open roster spot and they could add Dylan Windler or Isaac Okoro into the deal if they wanted to.
There is a big trade the Cavs could possibly pull off, a three-team trade with the Dallas Mavericks and Brooklyn Nets.