The Cleveland Cavaliers are in an interesting place with their roster construction. They have four young stars, players who would start anywhere and give this team a chance to win against anyone. They lack that clear fifth-starter, a small forward who can space the court and defend at a high level.
What the Cavs do have, however, is plenty of depth at the 2-4 positions. There may be no clear-cut starter among the group of Caris LeVert, Isaac Okoro, Dean Wade, Lamar Stevens and Cedi Osman, but all of them are worthy of rotation minutes on a good team.
Many teams do not have that luxury of depth, and could target a player like Cedi Osman because of it. Osman has been the odd man out of the rotation since Ricky Rubio’s return, and as such could hold more value to another team than to the Cavaliers. Which teams out there could trade for the longtime Cavalier?
3 teams that could trade the Cavaliers for Cedi Osman: Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns have been linked to Osman since back before the season when the Cavaliers and Suns discussed a potential trade for Jae Crowder. They have a few shooting guards who can space the court but struggle to defend size in Landry Shamet and Damion Lee, but they don’t really have a true backup to Mikal Bridges at the 3.
Osman could fill in some of that rotational space, giving the Suns a steady hand who has a decent jumper and good enough defensive chops. Whether it’s inside of a three-team trade or something worked out for Jae Crowder, Osman could help the Suns at a point of weakness as they’re trying to rebuild a contending roster in time to not miss the playoffs.
The Washington Wizards could trade Cavaliers for Cedi Osman
The Washington Wizards shouldn’t be trading for veteran wings to try and shore up their rotation ahead of the postseason. They are fighting just to get into the Play-In Tournament, and nothing about this team suggests they can make any noise in the postseason, let alone the playoffs.
What they should be doing is trading veterans for draft capital, pushing down towards the true bottom of the standings and trying to add an elite talent to this roster. Instead, the Wizards are likely to do as they always do, scrapping for every possible win.
In that light, trading for Cedi Osman makes sense. They have Corey Kispert and Will Barton at small forward right now, and Barton is a candidate to be moved at the Trade Deadline after a disappointing season with Washington. The reserve backcourt behind Bradley Beal and Monte Morris is also something of a mess.
Osman could step in to provide bench minutes at both the 2 and the 3, with his versatility such he can plug into the lineup wherever necessary. His off-ball utility allows the Wizards to focus on putting the ball in the hands of their best creators and not trying to shoehorn touches for Barton or Johnny Davis into the offense. Osman is also under contract next season, ensuring the Wizards have him to count on for next year’s run to the 8th seed as well.
The Indiana Pacers could trade the Cavaliers for Cedi Osman
The Indiana Pacers weren’t supposed to be good this season. They had an over/under win total in Vegas of 23 wins before the season and were in line to trade off their veterans and rebuild a core around Tyrese Haliburton and Bennedict Mathurin.
Instead, their young players have been better than expected to start, Haliburton has been an All-Star, and Myles Turner has been one of the Eastern Conference’s best centers. They are going to blow through that 23-win threshold and have a real chance of making the playoffs.
With that being the case, the Pacers could pivot from being sellers to being buyers at the Trade Deadline. They don’t have much depth at forward, starting a collection of guards and sliding them down the lineup. Aaron Nesmith came into the league as a 2 and he is starting at the 4! Osman’s size would instantly help shore up the rotation and give the Pacers someone with veteran experience to balance out the group
None of these teams are likely to trade for Cedi Osman, but all of them could. The Cavs have both a problem and a bounty at small forward, and it could lead to a trade sending Cedi Osman to another team. If so, here are three teams trying to win who could be interested.