Ranking 3 trade targets for the Cavs as deadline approaches

As we approach the Feb. 9 NBA trade deadline the Cleveland Cavaliers are still considering their options if they want to be buyers this season. The team is in the thick of the race to the postseason. They are in a similar position as they were a year ago. Some in the social media sphere have noted this and are expecting the team to crumble as they did last season.

However, this is a different team and a different season for Cleveland. More importantly, they now have a closer on their team named Donovan Mitchell, who will be the main reason this team should make it to the playoffs. But, they may still need to make a move or two to try and improve their squad.

Last season, at this same time, the team made the move to acquire Caris LeVert of the Indiana Pacers. He came in and did some good things but a year later, he happens to be the trade bait of the Cavs to try and get a better and more reliable perimeter shooter.

The decision to try and get one of these other players in a trade may end up being a last-minute call. Cleveland just got back Dean Wade, who’d been injured for two months. Wade has fit into that 3 spot on the floor many times and while he’s not the type of scorer some of these other trade targets are that we discuss next, he brings strong defense and that could be a much bigger deal to this team’s success then most want to admit.

There are several Cavaliers though that could be in the middle of any trade that Cleveland gets involved in. That could include Cedi Osman, who had the game of his career in the recent win against the LA Clippers, where he went for 29 points while going 7-of-7 from beyond the arc. Other players involved in a trade could be the aforementioned LeVert and also a starter like Isaac Okoro.

With that background, let’s look at three trade targets and how they’d rank as far as their importance to the team moving toward a postseason run.

No. 3 ranked trade target: Doug McDermott, San Antonio Spurs

Doug McDermott has been around the league for a decade. He played at Creighton back in the day and has been an excellent three-point shooter over the years. He’s currently playing for the San Antonio Spurs and is owed a lot of money, north of $13 million for next season. It’s been projected that a team like Cleveland would have to give up at least a second-round draft pick and some other later-round talent along with a player back like Osman or seemingly Okoro.

Is bringing McDermott onto the Cavaliers going to make that big of a difference? I’d suggest no it’s not, but if Cleveland did make the move, it would be a good pickup and wouldn’t hurt the team. McDermott won’t light it up most nights, but he’ll give you 20 to 25 minutes of playing time and take eight to nine shots a night. He’s a solid 41% career three-point shooter as he averages taking four to five of them a night and would help movement and floor spacing.