By now, everybody has heard time after time that the Cleveland Cavaliers stayed silent in this year’s trade deadline. After making their first “all-in” trade for Donovan Mitchell, the front office stayed patient and gave the team an opportunity to prove themselves with the current lineup.
Unfortunately, Cleveland was embarrassed by the New York Knicks in the first round and now have no choice but to admit what we all knew – significant trades need to happen. The core of Mitchell, Garland, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen will stay. Caris LeVert has expressed a desire to return and probably will. Other than that, an air of uncertainty looms over the Land.
With limited money available to spend this offseason, the Cavs cannot build only through free agency. Making a win-now move and building wing depth through an offseason trade could vault the Cavaliers to the next echelon of NBA contenders. Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com reported that the Cavaliers were “far down the road” on a trade for Brooklyn Nets wing sharpshooter Royce O’Neale before the Nets opted to keep him through the deadline.
The Cavs could reignite those conversations and get the deal done.
The Nets had a busy trade deadline, dealing Kyrie Irving to the Dallas Mavericks a week before and then shipping Kevin Durant to Phoenix for a historic haul. Surely, the front office was overwhelmed. Through the end of the regular season and their quick loss to the Philadelphia 76ers in the postseason, the Nets had a chance to see the limits this roster can reach.
They have a lot of young talent in Mikal Bridges and Cameron Thomas, but their wealth of veteran talent could be the catalyst in their rebuild. Sending out proven players to teams ready to win could give the Brooklyn Nets a much brighter future than where they sit currently.
Provided by Fanspo on Twitter, this trade sends two valuable wings to the Nets in exchange for a mix of players and picks. The Cavaliers upgrade from Isaac Okoro, letting the Nets pair Thomas with a defensive-minded guard who will not demand ball dominance and limit Thomas and Bridges in the offense. This trade is far from a blockbuster, but it gives both squads improve their future trajectory while maintaining flexibility for more moves.
What is the deal, then? And would both teams be interested?
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.
Would the Nets do this trade?
As mentioned, the Nets probably will not get many first round picks in return for either Royce O’Neale or Dorian Finney-Smith this summer, considering the amount of disappointing postseason runs might lead to star trades being available. Players such as Deandre Ayton, James Harden, Khris Middleton, and more could all be on their way to a new team in either trades or sign-and-trades. Teams with first-round picks available to trade will be calling for these names before O’Neale or Finney-Smith.
With this Cavs trade, the Nets get three useful players and four second-round picks. Okoro and Wade might not be the same type of wing players as who the Nets lose, but they are young and on cheap contracts. Okoro has shown signs of improvement, but the Cavaliers are looking for a ready-to-win option. Even though it hurts, the Cavs are probably trading Okoro at some point it seems, and the Nets would be the perfect spot for Okoro.
The Nets’ breakout guard Cameron Thomas can put the ball in the basket in any way he wants. Where he lacks, though, is defensively. With Isaac Okoro next to him at either the two guard or three, Thomas’ drawbacks can be lessened through Okoro’s grit and defensive talent. Secondly, Ricky Rubio helped mentor Darius Garland to become the All-Star he is now. Rubio would be able to give Thomas the leadership and mentorship he needs to reach the next level he is clearly capable of reaching.
With Dean Wade, the Nets have another tall player who can shoot. While Wade can be streaky, Brooklyn’s system might unlock a consistency for Wade he could not find while battling for minutes against Kevin Love and Cedi Osman.
On top of the players, Brooklyn receives four picks. The Atlanta Hawks sent five second-round picks for Saddiq Bey from Detroit at the deadline. Bey, a young wing with immense talent, did not command a first-round pick in trade. As odd as it may seem, this trade is equal value for these players. Young talent that can either be developed or traded later and nearly half a dozen second-round picks is a fairly substantial haul for two players who do not fit your team’s timeline.
The Nets might ask for another pick, but this trade is a good return for Brooklyn. It builds around their two young stars and bolsters their defense going into next season. They should say yes.
Would the Cavs say yes?
The short answer is yes. Isaac Okoro plays with intensity, but his lack of three-point shooting and undersized stature hurts Cleveland too much right now. Royce O’Neale is near the same height as Okoro, so this package would not make sense without Dorian Finney-Smith or sending much less over to the Nets.
Okoro has potential undeniably, but the Cavaliers are not at a point to continue nurturing that through patience and losing. They only have so many years before Donovan Mitchell can leave for nothing in free agency, so they need to prove this summer that this organization is committed to putting the best possible contending roster around Mitchell. Losing Okoro, Wade, and Rubio hurts because of their cultural fit with the team, but this type of trade elevates the Cavaliers too much not to do it.
Losing Wade and Rubio is nothing to celebrate on its own, but their time might have come. Rubio has not been the same guard since his injury, and the majority of Cleveland’s guard minutes will be taken by Garland, Mitchell, and seemingly LeVert. Sending Rubio to be a mentor for another emerging star guard gives both parties a valuable return.
Secondly, this gives Cleveland their needed wing depth without losing any money in free agency. The Cavaliers are reportedly targeting six different centers in free agency, and a trade like this allows the Cavs to offer their full Mid-Level Exception to bring the best possible talent to the roster. The flexibility that Cleveland maintains while improving their roster makes this trade a no-brainer.
Overall, this trade is a good move for both teams. While the Nets might want to hold out for more valuable picks, the trade market this offseason probably will not value Finney-Smith enough with so many big names up for grabs. For Cleveland, this might be their best choice, as it fulfills their wing depth in one move rather than splitting up their free agency offers or completing multiple trades.
Grade: A