The Cleveland Cavaliers continue to play very well this season, even weathering numerous injuries to stay afloat. Last year the Cavs were thinner and younger and more susceptible to player absences; this year they are much better equipped with players to step up, and when all else fails Donovan Mitchell can just drop 71 points to snag a win.
When the Cavs are at full strength, however, there is that one position that still looks out of place: the starting small forward. Dean Wade is probably the best in-house option, and Lamar Stevens has received plenty of run there, but ultimately (whether this season or next) the Cavs need a true 3-and-D option at the position.
Given the Cavs’ youth and success already this season it’s very reasonable to think that they might hang tight this year and see how things go, but ESPN’s Zach Lowe reported that league sources expect the Cavs to “search the trade market for another short-term wing option.” Who might that player be? There are certainly plenty of options.
The Cleveland Cavaliers could call the Atlanta Hawks about an upgrade on the wing.
One such option is on the Atlanta Hawks, a player who doesn’t seem to be a part of their core and could be available on the market. On NBA Insider Jake Fischer’s podcast “Please Don’t Aggregate This” he and Seth Partnow tossed out one idea, a trade with the Hawks to add a more offensively-minded guard who could slot into the 3 spot. What would that pitched trade look like?
Cavs trade for Hawks guard: Laying out the trade
The Atlanta Hawks made a trade this offseason similar to the one that the Cleveland Cavaliers made, flipping assets for a second lead guard. In Cleveland that pairing has flourished, with Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell playing well off of each other. In Atlanta, the pairing has been much more tortured, with Trae Young struggling to synthesize with Dejounte Murray.
It’s very possible the Hawks look to make major changes, at a minimum flipping a few role players and at the maximum listening to trade offers for John Collins. Either way, they will likely look to move shooting guard Bogdan Bogdanovic for both a different look this season and more cap flexibility this summer. Perhaps this kind of a package, then, would interest them:
The Hawks get a player with some of the same strengths as Bogdanovic, but LeVert is a better passer and a worse shooter. This deal does shave some money off of the Hawks’ payroll, giving them breathing room under the luxury tax, and with LeVert on an expiring contract potentially opens up cap space this summer.
There are some small reasons for the Hawks to do this deal; it’s not a slam dunk, but it’s unlikely they’re finding one of those for Bogdanovic. Looking to the other side of the table, would the Cavs say yes to this trade?
Cavs trade for Hawks guard: Would they do it?
The player that the Cleveland Cavaliers most need in their starting lineup is a classic 3-and-D wing, a guy with size, defensive chops and a lethal 3-point shot. The problem is that everyone needs that kind of player, and even if you have one, having more is better. They are rarely available on the trade market.
The Cavs have the version of that player that skews toward defense, but trading for Bogdanovic would allow them to skew in the other direction. Bogdanovic is a very talented offensive player, a career 38.5 percent shooter from 3-point range hitting 40.8 percent this season. He is a decent playmaker who thrives on attacking mismatches when a team’s primary option warps the defense.
At 6’6″ he doesn’t have the ideal size for what the Cavs want to do defensively at the 3, but that’s an inch taller than Isaac Okoro and the same height as Lamar Stevens. His wingspan of 6’11” will help him guard up at the 3 as well. Basketball Reference estimates that he has played 72 percent of his minutes at one of the forward spots and just 27 percent at shooting guard, a shift likely spurred on by the presence of Young and Murray. Bogdanovic could do something similar with the Cavs.
Is Bogdanovic the best version of what the Cavs want? No, but they may not be able to get that. Bogdanovic gives them a lockdown shooter and a good secondary playmaker who is less redundant playing with the team’s on-ball stars than LeVert was. Defensively, Bogdanovic is below-average, but in the Cavs’ scheme, it’s not unreasonable to think he could take a step forward, just as players like Lauri Markkanen and Donovan Mitchell have.
In the end, this isn’t a bad use of LeVert’s expiring contract, and Bogdanovic has a lot of talent. That being said, the Cavs should hope they can find a more seamless fit that helps them maintain their defensive identity.
Grade: B-