Cavs killer could become the fifth starter in proposed trade

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Kyle Kuzma, Washington Wizards and Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers. Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images /

Cavs killer added in trade proposal

The Cleveland Cavaliers have a few options available to them in building trades. They can include Caris LeVert for more expensive players to match salaries, but Kyle Kuzma is making only $13 million this season. That allows for a smaller construction built around Isaac Okoro or Cedi Osman paired with Dylan Winder’s expiring deal.

Trade site Fanspo laid out one such construction with Okoro, Osman and some draft capital:

In this construction, the Cavaliers press right up against the luxury tax, and another small move down the line might be necessary to give them some breathing room. They cannot trade an outright first-round pick because of the Stepien Rule, which requires NBA teams to have at least one first-round pick every two years.

To get around that, the Cavs offer the Wizards a pick swap for next season; that’s incredibly unlikely to convey, but it’s all the Cavs really have. They add this year’s second-round pick, which belongs to the Golden State Warriors and could end up being fairly high up in the round.

The Wizards may hope for more for Kuzma, but he is on an expiring contract and they don’t have a ton of leverage since he already indicated he was going to sign elsewhere this summer. This might be the best they can find. If so, would the Cavs do it?