The Cleveland Cavaliers haven’t had the smoothest sailing this season, with one of the league’s longest injury lists and some come-from-ahead losses to teams they should have defeated. Yet they have also had some extreme highs, are now close to fully healthy and are positioned to make some noise down the stretch with one of the league’s easiest remaining schedules.
This is the time of year when NBA teams evaluate the path ahead and ask themselves some tough questions. Are they loading up for a playoff push? Are they selling veterans and aiming to prioritize young players and draft position? Or are they one of the chosen few who can realistically set their sights on an NBA title?
The Cleveland Cavaliers could do a number of things at the NBA Trade Deadline
The answers to those questions dictate how they approach the NBA Trade Deadline, which is quickly approaching. The Cavaliers have been one of many teams at the center of swirling trade rumors, and as the chatter has increased, perhaps the foundation has been obscured.
So let’s provide a primer for the upcoming trade deadline. When is it, where do the Cavs stand, what picks do they have available, and what players are they rumored to be pursuing? Let’s break it all down.
When is the Trade Deadline?
The NBA Trade Deadline is on Thursday, February 9th at 3:00 pm ET. Any trade not phoned into the NBA league office by that time will not count. Historically, the vast majority of in-season trades happen within the week of the deadline, so expect activity to start to ramp up this weekend and into next week.
The Cavaliers’ situation heading into the Trade Deadline
The Cleveland Cavaliers are 31-21, in fifth-place in the Eastern Conference. Their point differential is strong, third-best in the league and second in the East, and Cleaning the Glass estimates they should have a 33-19 record. Those underlying numbers suggest the Cavs should have confidence in making a playoff run, although they have a young roster without much playoff experience.
That means they should approach the Trade Deadline looking to improve a contender, but that a win-now move would likely be shortsighted as this team seeks to gain its first playoff experience as a group.
Cavaliers’ roster and draft picks
The Cleveland Cavaliers have 14 players under contract, as well as a pair of players on Two-Way contracts. They sit $2.47 million beneath the luxury tax line, and given that this is a team that wants to compete for a long time, staying out of the tax this season before heading into it in the future is likely a priority.
The Cavaliers cannot practically trade a first-round pick at the deadline, as they owe their 2023 first-round pick to Indiana from the Caris LeVert deal last year, and they owe their 2025, 2027 and 2029 first-round picks to the Utah Jazz, as well as swaps in 2026 and 2028, all from the Donovan Mitchell trade. They do own all but one of their second-round picks, and have three extras over the next five years.
Cavaliers’ history at the Trade Deadline
The Cavaliers also have a history of making trade deadline deals, from last year’s move to trade for Caris LeVert, to deals during the LeBron James administration to add players such as Larry Nance Jr., Jordan Clarkson, J.R. Smith or Timofey Mozgov. That makes it even more likely they will do some sort of a deal by the deadline.
Roundup of Cavaliers trade rumors
The Cavaliers are looking for a small forward, ideally a player they can start or at least close with alongside their core four of Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. They have a plethora of in-house options, from Dean Wade and Isaac Okoro to Caris LeVert and Lamar Stevens, but none are likely to be the long-term answer.
To make a deal, the Cavs have a couple of different routes. The most talked about option is to trade Caris LeVert; he makes $18.8 million on an expiring deal, so he can allow them to match a lot of salary and appeal to teams that (1) need an expiring contract, or (2) need a perimeter creator. Isaac Okoro, Cedi Osman and Dylan Windler are also candidates to be traded. Dean Wade literally cannot be due to the timing of his extension.
Who could the Cavaliers make a trade for?
Here is a list of all the players the Cavs have been connected with, with links to our write-ups here on the site:
- Kyle Kuzma – Washington Wizards
- Bojan Bogdanovic – Detroit Pistons
- Doug McDermott – San Antonio Spurs
- Bogdan Bogdanovic – Atlanta Hawks
- Saddiq Bey – Detroit Pistons
- Tim Hardaway Jr. – Dallas Mavericks
- Dorian Finney-Smith – Dallas Mavericks
- Malik Beasley – Utah Jazz
- Harrison Barnes – Sacramento Kings
- Gary Harris – Orlando Magic
- Tobias Harris – Philadelphia 76ers
- Cam Reddish – New York Knicks
Prediction: The Cavs will make a small deal, but they won’t trade Caris LeVert or find their 5th starter at small forward.