There aren’t a lot of weaknesses on the Cleveland Cavaliers roster. They have redundancy at multiple positions, an elite quartet of stars and one of the best records in the NBA. Just last night they topped the first-place Milwaukee Bucks by eight points.
That doesn’t mean they shouldn’t look to improve. In fact, the Cavs’ success this season makes it more likely that they make a move on the trade market. When you have a real chance at contending for a title you go after it; in the playoffs, anything can happen.
The Cleveland Cavaliers could make a trade for an elite shooting wing.
The most glaring weakness on the Cavs’ roster is for a high-end 3-and-D small forward, but after that it’s the lack of a movement shooter. That was supposed to be Ochai Agbaji but he was traded to the Utah Jazz as part of the Donovan Mitchell deal, as was Lauri Markkanen. Kevin Love can shoot off the move but he’s not zipping around the court.
There are a few shooters who may be available on the trade market for the Cavs to add. One player in particular stands out, a high-volume gunner whose team has the incentive to be moving veterans to add draft assets. Let’s look at a potential trade and then see if it would be worth the Cavs’ time.
Cavaliers trade for an absolute bomber
The Utah Jazz are having an unexpectedly strong season, perhaps in some ways the mirror image of what Cleveland accomplished last season. The team that was expected to tank after trading away All-Stars in Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert is instead firmly in the playoff mix.
That being said, the Jazz are going to make the best decisions for their team long-term, not simply to maximize this season. That’s why it’s very likely they will move some of their veterans for future assets, including a certain sharpshooting wing they acquired over the summer from the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Malik Beasley is shooting 38.7 percent on 8.6 3-point attempts per game; that volume places him eighth among accurate shooters this season, behind a collection of players making significantly more money than him. He loves to get up 3-pointers and can do so in a variety of ways.
To put this trade together the Cavs almost certainly need to trade both Isaac Okoro and Cedi Osman so that the money balances out. The Jazz would get to take a flier on Okoro blossoming in a new spot, and get a useful wing in Osman. That may or may not be enough for the Jazz to play ball; the Cavs could toss in a second-round pick as well.
Would the Cavs want to do this trade? Let’s evaluate it.
Grade the Trade: Cavaliers trade for an absolute bomber
As we mentioned before, the Cavs don’t have a movement shooter on the team. A player like Malik Beasley puts pressure on an opposing defense because of how quickly he moves around the court. Leave the trailing defender with no help and a screen pops the shooter free; double him or even simply shade to him and the screener suddenly is wide open cutting to the basket.
Gravity is almost as valuable as knocking down shots in the modern NBA because it opens up space for other players to get open shots, especially at the rim. On-ball pull-up shooting is incredibly valuable, but off-ball movement shooter is just as much.
The benefit of having elite defenders on the team like Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen is that the Cavs can make bold choices with other rotation spots. A player like Beasley can survive because he has elite help behind him, and on offense his shooting and gravity crack open the defense.
Is it worth the case? If the Jazz are accepting of Okoro and Osman then this is a no-brainer for Cleveland. Beasley gives their rotation a new element and helps to improve one of the most important areas of the game in today’s NBA. Making just $15.5 million this season and $16.5 next year he is on a reasonable contract and well worth the cost.
Grade: B+