The Cleveland Cavaliers are motoring along this season and while they are playing well and have a good record and sitting in the No. 5 spot in the Eastern Conference standings, they still could potentially be looking to upgrade their roster with a shooter. While they have players like Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell leading the way, the team is still lacking a player that could step into the three spot in the starting lineup and make buckets.
Let’s take a look at three players that have been linked to the Wine and Gold and could become a team member by the NBA trade deadline on Feb. 9.
Cavs potential trade target No. 3 to boost shooting: Bojan Bogdanovic
The veteran wing in Bojan Bogdanovic that currently plays for the Detroit Pistons is gathering a lot of interest, not only from the Cavs, but reportedly from other teams across the league. He’s having one of the best seasons of his career averaging 21 points this season the Pistons are in freefall and are looking to trade and gather assets, Bogdanovic will be likely traded before the trade day deadline on Feb. 9 it seems.
Cleveland has some very good shooters on the team, but they need more help in that area as they get closer to the postseason. Dean Wade is reported to be coming back to the Cavs shortly after a lengthy injury. Wade should help when he returns as he’s been an on and off starter for the Cavaliers but his primary strength is with his defense. But beyond Wade, the Cavs are still searching for that extra shooter. Cedi Osman has tried stepping in from time to time but hasn’t been given a good opportunity from his head coach J.B. Bickerstaff to really help the team.
Bogdanovic is a savvy veteran who’s been around the NBA for a decade. He was drafted by the Miami Heat back in 2011 at the end of the first round. However, he stayed in Turkey to play in the pro leagues over there. Finally, he came to the states and played for the Brooklyn Nets, and then played briefly for the Washington Wizards, then for the Indiana Pacers followed by the Utah Jazz, and now this year with the Pistons.
He’s averaged 15 points a game over his career. This season with the Pistons, he’s having a super year as far as points are concerned by averaging over 21. He’s putting up about six three-pointers a game and averaging at about 41% on the shots, and the Cavs need more shooters.
They have them in players like Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland, but they need another guy in the starting five who can create and take a shot and make it on the run. Isaac Okoro has been starting recently for Cleveland and while he’s playing better and scoring more, he still hasn’t been all that consistent on that end.
Cavs potential trade target No. 2 to boost shooting: Buddy Hield
A year ago there was a lot of discussion about Buddy Hield and the possibility that he might be on the trading block when the Cavs were looking back then. While he hasn’t been rumored to come to the Cavs this season, bringing a player like Hield, could spell big success for the Cavs as they were trying to enter the postseason.
Last season some of the rumors included trading Ricky Rubio, Cedi Osman, and Dylan Windler in return for Hield. Now this year, Rubio has just returned from injury and is helping the team out. Osman could potentially still be part of any trade opportunities. Windler hasn’t seen the court at all this season and would maybe be part of any deal that Cleveland came up with.
Hield has been in the league since 2016 when he was selected by the New Orleans Pelicans in the draft, and then traded midway through the 2016-17 season to the Sacramento Kings. In 2021 he was in traded to the Indiana Pacers. He’s averaging 17 points a game this season.
He’s been a starter most of his career. This season he’s averaging taking nine three pointers and hitting 42% of them. He’s definitely a shooter and could step in to that three spot for the Cavs and instantly make them a better shooting team. Put him on the starting crew with their is Garland Donovan, Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Jared Allen and you have one heck of a starting five.
Perhaps the Pacers might consider dealing Hield for former Pacer Caris LeVert, and a future asset attached, considering Indy is realistically in a rebuild and LeVert will be expiring after the season.
Cavs potential trade target No. 1 to boost shooting: Malik Beasley
One of the hotter names on the trade black and linked to the Cavaliers is Malik Beasley. Beasley of all the trade options is probably the most likely to put up the most shots per game as he’s all about offense.
The Cavaliers have shooters, but they don’t have a player like Beasley, who could, take that shot off the dribble or take the shot from catch and shoots and score with more consistency than players on the team right now like Cedi Osman or for that matter Isaac Okoro. Okoro has been doing much better in the last several weeks and scoring more buckets, but he’s not been reliable, with volume that is. And Beasley is a more than capable movement shooter.
Beasley is playing with the Utah Jazz this season. He’s averaging close to 14 points a game as he puts up a lot of three-point shots upwards of nine per game. He’s had other seasons where he’s averaged closer to 18 or 19 points on the season. Right now, he’s coming off the bench for the Jazz and making the most of his time on the court, and the Cavs are looking for a player that could instantly help them in the shooting department.
Plus, Cleveland and Utah have already struck up a trade earlier this offseason when they made the deal of the year by getting Donovan Mitchell, so this new deal for Beasley would seem like a really good possibility for both teams. Cleveland has reportedly considered option of a potential three-team deal featuring Utah and Beasley and the Atlanta Hawks, too.
Whomever the Cavs target, and they’ve been linked to a number of players, they will likely strike a deal by next month’s deadline to try and help their team gain some momentum as they approach the playoffs.
Last season, the Cavaliers aquired LeVert from the Pacers. While LeVert has played better this season for Cleveland, you wonder if he would be included in any potential future trades, and in these types of ones involving these three targets, that’d appear to be a certainty.