The Cleveland Cavaliers have a strong team, but any contender should be looking to the trade market for upgrades. The Cavs have some uncertainty at their fifth starting spot, some bench needs, and overall a limited collection of assets.
That means the Cavs aren’t going to be big-game hunting on the trade market, but they also don’t need to be. They do need to find ways to upgrade on the margins, and to help them out a host of players are going to become eligible for trade on Dec 15, mostly players who signed new contracts this summer.
Who could the Cavs target in a trade that will be eligible starting this Thursday? Let’s take a look.
Newly eligible trade target No. 1: Otto Porter Jr.
We looked at Otto Porter Jr. in a potential trade idea last week, and he is one of the more well-known names that could be available for trade come Dec 15. The forward is a risky player to target as he is near-constantly dealing with injuries, but there is also a lot to like about Porter.
He is a very solid shooter, has defensive versatility to defend all three frontcourt positions, and he just proved his value in the playoffs by winning the championship with Golden State last season. If healthy (a big if) Porter can be an excellent piece on a good team and would fill a need for the Cavs, and he is on a very reasonable contract to boot, making just six million this year.