One problem with trade rumors is that they often prioritize action over inaction. NBA teams are not afraid to make deals, but they also aren’t going to make a trade just for the sake of making a trade. If a potential move doesn’t actually move the needle, it probably doesn’t get done.
The Cleveland Cavaliers need a solution at small forward, yes, but that doesn’t mean they will make a trade for just any solution. If they give up their few remaining assets for a player, he needs to be a better player than the Cavs’ in-house options. If Dean Wade is going to play above a player, adding him makes little sense.
The Cleveland Cavaliers aren’t going to make a trade unless it clearly makes them better.
Finding a trade to bring in a player who is a better fit than what they have is a difficult proposition. There are certainly options out there, but they often mirror the issue here; another team isn’t going to trade their good wing player for the Cavs’ flotsam. A deal has to be found that works for both sides.
That reasoning led to this blockbuster trade idea with the Philadelphia 76ers. What if the Sixers, breathing in deep the aroma of being a contender, decide to clean up their books and diversify their rotation around Joel Embiid? If that means landing a player who can absolutely start for the Cavaliers, is that worth a significant financial commitment? Let’s lay out a wild, massive trade idea.
What Cavaliers blockbuster with 76ers would look like
Tobias Harris is an extremely talented player. He averages 16.3 points per game this season despite playing alongside two high-usage creators in Joel Embiid and James Harden, is a good 3-point shooter and an improved defender. Yet the reason he might be available on the trade market is that he makes a whopping $37.63 million this season, more than anyone else on the Sixers, and $39.27 next season.
If Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert is comfortable going into the luxury tax next season for this team, then it’s possible Harris could be added without sacrificing any other members of the core. The easiest way to build out the deal would be to include Kevin Love, but he likely doesn’t hold enough value to Philly to make it work. Instead, the Cavaliers will need to stack all of their secondary contracts:
Caris LeVert instantly gives the 76ers a third ball-handler, building in redundancies along the same thought process as Cleveland this season. The difference is that now that Ricky Rubio is back, LeVert’s services are even more duplicitous on this team. The 76ers would also get an understudy to De’Anthony Melton in Isaac Okoro, a two-way wing in Cedi Osman, and the expiring salary of Dylan Windler.
To do it, Philadelphia would send out Harris, a valuable starter but one who is wildly overpaid and has been known to be available in past trade seasons. They don’t send out any other players they rely on, but they do append a second-round pick because of how many rotation players the Cavs are giving up. They may not want to deal Harris this season, but if they do this is a reasonable trade for them to make.
Would the Cavaliers make this trade?
The Cleveland Cavaliers have been linked to all sorts of wings on the trade market, but last season their preferred option to slot into that starting small forward spot was Lauri Markkanen, and when he wasn’t available they often went with Dean Wade; in other words, combo forwards with size who can do some switching with the other bigs. Tobias Harris leans into that desire for size.
The 6’8″ forward can play the 3 or the 4, and his outside shot is dangerous enough to keep defenses honest. He also gives the Cavaliers another late-game outlet to create offense if teams shift help towards Donovan Mitchell and/or Darius Garland. He diversifies and beefs up their offense.
Defensively, Harris is not a pushover, but he’s also not a difference-maker. Where he has thrived is when playing on the perimeter with Joel Embiid behind him, and in Cleveland, he would always have that backline support. It’s very likely Harris would thrive defensively and be his best defensive self on the Cavs, very similar to Markkanen last season.
Is adding Harris worth the hit to the depth of this team? That’s a more difficult question, but even after trading three rotation players, the Cavs can trot out Ricky Rubio, Dean Wade and Kevin Love off the bench. They’ll need to make a small move or scoop up a shooting wing in the buyout market, but Jaden Springer could also get some run in that spot for a tryout.
The big question is that of cost, but if Dan Gilbert is willing to pay up, Harris’s contract for next season is just a one-year burden to bear. If the fit works out, they can re-sign Harris for a market-value deal closer to $20 million per season. This is a big swing, but it’s one that makes a lot of sense and would truly upgrade the starting lineup.