Grade the Trade: Cavaliers find wing help and keep their core in proposal

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Royce O’Neale, Brooklyn Nets. Photo by Dustin Satloff/Getty Images /

Cavs get depth and Nets get plenty of picks

The Brooklyn Nets traded the majority of their first-round picks to acquire James Harden from Houston only for Harden to request a trade soon after. After losing Durant and Kyrie this past season, the Nets are not contending for a title anytime soon. Unless the Nets trade away Mikal Bridges, they will likely not get many first-round picks for any of their remaining available players. The Cavaliers have also sent away their first-round picks, but they have a swarm of young talent with potential and second-round picks.

Below is the aforementioned suggested trade pointed out by Fanspo, via user 49ERSFOREVER on the site.

https://twitter.com/fanspo/status/1660292304408567809?s=20

In the deal, the Cavs agree to send Ricky Rubio, Dean Wade, and Isaac Okoro and four second-round picks to Brooklyn in exchange for both Royce O’Neale and Dorian Finney-Smith. The Nets surrender DFS, who is drawing interest from seemingly every contender, but they bring in two cheap defensive wings, a veteran guard to mentor Thomas, and four more second-round picks over the next three drafts.

While four second-round picks does not sound as alluring as first-round picks, Brooklyn maintains depth and can utilize the second-round picks in later trades if they choose to do so.

Realistically, hardly any teams still hold onto many first-round picks of their own to offer in trades, so second-round picks are becoming more common in trades for non-franchise players. Cleveland takes in $2.6 million more in salary but finds the answer at the starting three spot in Finney-Smith along with an ideal backup in O’Neale.