It’s the time of year that the trade winds blow down from the mountains, whistling through the passes and blowing open the shutters on houses. You can’t find an NBA outlet that is not discussing, pitching, evaluating or reacting to trades.
It’s with good reason, too; the vast majority of in-season trades occur in the week directly before the NBA Trade Deadline, and these deals have the potential to completely alter a franchise’s direction. The Cleveland Cavaliers have four starters in a five-starter sport and are calling around the league to look into various options.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have an obvious spot in their lineup to upgrade via trade.
The Cavs are no strangers to midseason trades, from adding Caris LeVert a year ago to trades for players like Larry Nance Jr., Jordan Clarkson, J.R. Smith and Timofey Mozgov. There is a very good chance this team does make a move at the deadline, either in search of that fifth starter at small forward or to simply add another piece to the bench.
The question that needs to be asked is whether the Cavaliers should make a trade by the Trade Deadline. The reasons for making the deal have been worked over; what about the reasons they should not? Let’s take a moment to play devil’s advocate and lay out the case: Why the Cavaliers should not make a trade this season.
Cavaliers shouldn’t trade for an imperfect fit
The number of players that the Cleveland Cavaliers have been linked to in trade rumors this season is incredible. Everyone from Malik Beasley and Tim Hardaway Jr. to both Bogdanovics has been on the Cavs’ list. The problem? There isn’t really a perfect fit.
The Cavaliers are in a great starting place. They have four tentpole stars 26 years old and younger, all of them under contract for at least two more seasons after this one. Getting the stars is the most difficult part of building a contender, and the Cavs have accomplished that.
Fitting a fifth player into their best lineup, however, is a more difficult task. Because the Cavs have two non-shooting bigs (Evan Mobley likely will grow in this area, but that’s the reality for now) they can’t afford to start a non-shooter in that spot. That’s why Lamar Stevens didn’t stick, why Caris LeVert isn’t a good fit, why Isaac Okoro is a shaky option and why trade targets such as Josh Hart and Kyle Kuzma present problems.
On the other side of the coin, the Cavs need a plus defender at the 3, ideally one who can defend opposing guards at times. Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell are dynamic offensively but undersized defensively, and they need support from whoever starts at the 3. Sharpshooting targets such as Malik Beasley, Doug McDermott and Tim Hardaway Jr. fall short in this area.
The Cavaliers need to find a true 3-and-D wing, one with the length to play the 3 but the foot speed to defend guards, with an above-average 3-point shot. Those players are highly coveted around the league and won’t be easy to acquire, which brings us to our next point.
Cavaliers shouldn’t squander their limited resources in a trade
The Cleveland Cavaliers sent a protected 2022 first-round pick to the Indiana Pacers at last year’s trade deadline for Caris LeVert. When they subsequently missed the playoffs, the lottery-protected pick rolled into a 2023 pick. The Cavaliers will almost certainly lose the pick this season.
Then moving forward, the Cavaliers traded three more first-round picks and two first-round pick swaps to the Utah Jazz for Donovan Mitchell. That has essentially cleared out their cupboard of first-round picks, leaving them with just a handful of second-rounders as far as draft assets.
They aren’t exactly bursting at the seams with valuable players to trade, either. Their roster is mostly vital rotation players or players on minuscule contracts. Lamar Stevens is probably expendable, but he isn’t valuable or expensive enough to be of much value in a trade.
Isaac Okoro is a trade candidate, but he’s also still very young and would be sold at the low-point of his value. Cedi Osman has been a Cavalier for years and isn’t going to fetch a huge return. Caris LeVert is the top candidate for a trade, but he is also on an expiring deal and may not be coveted by the right teams.
There isn’t a lot there for the Cavs to dip into for an upgrade, and if they make a move now they may have absolutely nothing left for a trade a year or two or three from now. Unless the value is overwhelming on a deal, the Cavs should hold onto their assets and be patient.
Cavaliers need to allow this group to be tested in the playoffs
Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, Isaac Okoro, Dean Wade and Lamar Stevens have exactly ‘0’ playoff games in their ledger. Caris LeVert has nine, and Jarrett Allen has the same nine from when they were on the Brooklyn Nets. Ricky Rubio has played in just 11. That’s a huge portion of the Cavaliers’ rotation with little-to-no playoff experience whatsoever, and only Kevin Love (63) and Donovan Mitchell (39) tipping the scale in the other direction.
This group has never played a playoff game together, let alone one a series. That is a test the Cavs can only take at the end of a season, and finally this year they look positioned to take it. Will their elite defense excel in the slowed-down postseason or struggle against spaced-out lineups. Can playoff defenses put size on Garland and Mitchell to stymie the offense, or is the two-headed attack to potent?
It might be that the Cavs come out of this postseason even more convinced of their need to add a 3-and-D wing. It may also be that Dean Wade looks like the perfect fit, or Isaac Okoro proves himself indispensable. The two-big lineup could get absolutely decimated, and the front office makes the call to move Jarrett Allen in a deal for a small forward. Caris LeVert could be rewarded with a new contract or hurried out the door.
This group doesn’t have to win this year; “windows” of contention in the NBA are fleetingly short, but there are no signs that the Cavs won’t be just as good for the next couple of seasons. Gathering more information and then making a decision in the offseason lets this group breathe, face the bright lights and prove what it has. The more data the front office has, the better informed they will be on a decision to make.
Should the Cavaliers make a deal at the Trade Deadline? Maybe! Or maybe not. What matters is that they are patient, waiting to find the right player at the right price. They don’t need to rush, and they need to find the right guy, because the core in place in Cleveland is special enough to win it all with the right moves.