Grade the Trade: Cavs add not one but two forwards in trade idea

Rumors are swirling around NBA teams at this time of year, and the Cleveland Cavaliers are no exception. Every day a new report surfaces of this player being available, or that team looking to make an upgrade.

For example, yesterday it was reported that teams are circling the Chicago Bulls to ask after Zach LaVine, while the Washington Wizards want to retain popular trade target Kyle Kuzma and instead add a fourth star to the mix. For the Cavs we received further confirmation that they are in search of an upgrade on the wing.

Most trade rumors and ideas have centered around the Cavs using some combination of matching salary and second-round picks to add a single player. From Kyle Kuzma to Malik Beasley to a pair of Bogdanovics we’ve analyzed the trade targets…but what if the Cavs went for a bigger upgrade?

The Cleveland Cavaliers are looking for an upgrade. How big can they go with a deal?

A recent trade proposal has the Cavaliers landing not just one but two forwards in a three-team trade, finding their fifth starter at small forward and upgrading the bench depth at the same time. Is that a path the Cavs should pursue? Let’s break down the trade and then analyze the deal for Cleveland.

Cavs trade for two forwards: What does the trade look like?

Most of the players who can help the Cavaliers cost a fair amount of money, so there has to be matching salary heading back out. That means to add these two forwards the Cavs need to send out Caris LeVert, Cedi Osman and Dylan Windler. Here is what the trade idea looks like per the trade machine site Fanspo:

Here is a clear breakdown of the deal:

Before we get to the Cleveland side of things, would the other two teams involved in the trade idea go for this? The Phoenix Suns are getting nothing from Jae Crowder right now and need to right the ship before their season spirals out of control; Cedi Osman would immediately be their best bench wing, so there is some logic there, although they are almost certainly looking for more value than that.

It’s similar for the Detroit Pistons, although they are certainly getting much better value for Bojan Bogdanovic in this deal. Jake Fischer recently reported that the Pistons are hoping to get a young player and a first-round pick; that seems unrealistic as an endpoint even if it’s the Pistons’ starting point, and perhaps the value of Caris LeVert plus those two seconds closes the gap.

Grading the Cavs’ trade for two forwards

Now we land on the Cleveland Cavaliers. Would they do this trade? It’s a bit more complicated than some of the other constructions we have looked at, but in the end it’s fairly simple. Two rotation players and two second-round picks for Bojan Bogdanovic and Jae Crowder.

The two players are variations on a theme, both combo forwards best deployed at power forward but with the floor-spacing to survive at small forward, where the Cavs would certainly start one or the other. Bogdanovic can replace LeVert’s on-ball scoring while offering a lot more off-ball value due to his shooting (42.2 percent from deep this season) and Crowder is a high-volume floor-spacer as a 3-and-D combo forward.

The Cavs love LeVert, and he seems to love being in Cleveland. The reality, however, is that his skillset is redundant given the presence of Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell, and when Ricky Rubio returns he won’t be a critical injury replacement. Crowder and Bogdanovic fill important roles, and having both gives the Cavs a lot of rotational versatility.

This deal probably wouldn’t actually happen, as both the Suns and Pistons hope to get more for their players than the Cavs can offer. Yet if this was on the table for the Cavs to accept or deny, you have to think Cleveland would say yes and head into the postseason an even more dangerous team than they already are.

Grade: A