Pass or Pursue on 3 Cavs trade targets from Bleacher Report

Cavs trade target No. 3 – Joe Harris

The Brooklyn Nets have righted the ship after their drama-filled start to the season and are now just behind the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference standings. In doing so they have found their equilibrium with a primary lineup that starts Nic Claxton, Ben Simmons and Kevin Durant in the frontcourt, making Joe Harris the odd man out.

That doesn’t mean he’s not a useful player off the bench, but his shooting isn’t back to his pre-injury standards (37.2 percent for the 43.5 percent career shooter) and the Nets look like they want to use his salary to upgrade at another position.

Harris will make $18.64 million this season and $19.93 next year, a lot of money to pay a player if you aren’t confident in what he will give you. If Harris is never going to regain his lateral movement defensively and elite accuracy on offense then he will be very overpaid the next two seasons. If you believe that Harris’ shooting touch will come back then he could be one of the rare 3-and-D wings to be truly available on the trade market.

The Nets could use a secondary playmaker, so trading Caris LeVert for Harris could result in a homecoming for both players, as LeVert began his career in Brooklyn and Harris in Cleveland. The Cavs could bring Harris off the bench in Cedi Osman’s role to start, and as his shot comes around then he would be a candidate for the starting lineup.

It’s risky, but the upside is tremendous, and with Ricky Rubio returning and LeVert on an expiring contract the stars could be aligning here.

Verdict: Pursue