3 pros, 2 cons for Cleveland Cavaliers trading for Kristaps Porzingis

The Bradley Beal era of the Washington Wizards has ended, and the team seems finally to be headed toward a full rebuild. Should, then, the Cavaliers get involved in their next headlining trade by targeting Kristaps Porzingis?

There have been no rumors or reports yet, but Cavs Twitter has been ablaze with interest in the Latvian flamethrower big man since Beal’s change of scenery was announced.

If Porzingis did come to the Land, it would be his fourth team, third since 2021. He seems to be seeking a long term home. Right now, his trade value could be cheap enough for Cleveland to snag him. The floor spacing center could warrant plenty of suitors with cap space and picks.

Should the Cavaliers trade for Kristaps Porzingis?

Porzingis in wine and gold would certainly be exciting. The fanbase is not entirely sold, though. While Porzingis has the potential to elevate the Cavaliers, there are still concerns and questions alongside the positives he brings. Here are three pros and two cons for the Cavs bringing in the original Unicorn.

Pro No. 1 – Lights out shooting

If Cleveland does move on from Jarrett Allen this season, it would need to be in a move that opens up the perimeter for the Cavs. As it stands, the Cavaliers’ main setbacks come from the three-point arc and depth. Losing Allen in any trade that does not answer one of these needs would be outrageous.

Throughout his career, Kristaps Porzingis has sunk 35.9 percent of his three-point attempts, per Basketball Reference. Last season, Porzingis shot 38.5 percent from three, his best accuracy since the 2017-2018 season in New York. Though Porzingis has had inconsistencies in his career, his shooting has remained and is seemingly improving as he enters his prime.

Adding a knockdown shooter at the five like Porzingis would serve the Cavs well. With Evan Mobley’s offensive development as a primary focus this season, Cleveland would do well to place as many talented shooters around him as they possibly could.

Where does this lead next? Well, to hit shots you have to be on the court.

Con No. 1 – Injury concerns

By the time Kristaps Porzingis left the Dallas Mavericks, he had oft found himself in street clothes watching from the sidelines. The former number 4 pick was traded by the New York Knicks to play alongside Luka Doncic after missing the entirety of the 2018-2019 NBA season due to a torn ACL.

In his two full seasons with the Mavericks, Kristaps played a total of exactly 100 games. In the 2021-2022 season, he played 51 games split between the Mavs and Wizards.

Clearly, Porzingis’ health will always be a question mark, and availability many times is the best ability. The league has seen a number of super teams fall short in no small part thanks to injury. Adding Porzingis to Cleveland’s roster could be an opportunity for Porzingis to change his trajectory, though, as he is steadily improving his health and would not be asked to carry a heavy offensive load. Last season, Porzingis played 65 games, hitting 60 or more games since his sophomore campaign.

Players of Porzingis’ size do not heal as rapidly as smaller guards. Perhaps his torn ACL nagged him for years, and he will be just fine going forward. But, when the Cavs already struggle with depth at the center spot, this kind of move cannot be done without following up to snag another center in free agency.

Pro No. 2 – Career resurgence

To return to his time in Dallas, Porzingis’ career seemed to be on a steady decline. His role shifted dramatically, being relegated to be a spot-up corner shooter. In his hay day, the Latvian unicorn bullied defenders in the post and won with strength, footwork, and clever maneuverability.

Secondly, Kristaps has improved his passing over the past few seasons. Porzingis averaged a career-high 2.7 assists per contest with Washington in the 2022-2023 season, per Basketball Reference. His defense has remained solid throughout as well, averaging a block and a half last year alongside 8.4 rebounds.

In Cleveland, Jarrett Allen has shined as a post player since his trade from Brooklyn, earning an All-Star selection in 2021-2022. Whether he was catching a lob or looking for a clever finish on his own, the Fro’s stellar inside offense was one of the many reasons the Cavaliers secured a 50+ win season.

Replacing Allen with Porzingis would not diminish their offensive game at all; rather, it would expand it. In regards to health and availability, Jarrett Allen’s past two NBA seasons are fairly similar to Porzingis. In 2021-22, Allen missed 26 total games to Kristaps’ 31. In 2022-2023, Allen only played three more games with 68 versus Kristaps’ 65.

With Porzingis at the center, the Cavaliers would maintain their defensive dominance while improving their offensive versatility. Everything comes at a cost, though, and Porzingis is no exception.

Con No. 2 – Hefty price tag for an expensive team

Kristaps Porzingis currently has a player option available for this next season worth $36 million, which he is expected to exercise (who wouldn’t?).

For comparison, Jarrett Allen signed a flat 5 year/$100 million contract, putting him $16 million cheaper than Porzingis.

Not only does that make Porzingis a higher cost for the year (also a threat to leave in unrestricted free agency the following summer), it means the Cavaliers couldn’t simply swap Porzingis and Allen and call it a day. The salaries just don’t match.

The Cavs would have to surrender more players in order to receive Porzingis, which could include Rubio, Wade, and/or Okoro. Maybe this means it becomes a three-team deal. Sending Jarrett Allen to a third team would mean Washington gets off of a lot of salary and opens up their options for the future. Is Portland still building around Damian Lillard and looking for a center to replace Nurkic? Who knows.

With depth already a necessity this summer, filling the Cavs cap sheet even more could hurt their flexibility in free agency. According to Spotrac, the Cavaliers owe $126.9 million across their already guaranteed contracts for next season. This leaves them with roughly $35 million of breathing room before they breach the luxury tax threshold.

Porzingis would shrink that to $19 million. If the Cavs would hope to keep him after his current deal, that could add even more stress with Evan Mobley’s eventual rookie extension and Donovan Mitchell’s looming free agency.

Is the cost worth it? How could the Cavaliers maneuver this deal to make it work?

Pro No. 3 – Immediate bar raiser

In short, Kristaps Porzingis would immediately improve the Cavaliers’ chances at contention. Though years down the road things might get muddy with salaries and taxes, those might simply need to be issues for the future Cleveland front office to figure out. The Cavaliers would still remain below the luxury tax and have their full Mid-Level and Bi-Annual Exceptions available to bring in more talent this offseason.

Further, the Cavs could swing the deal to retain the 49th pick in this year’s NBA draft. Cleveland is reportedly looking to move up in the draft, too. Assuming the Cavaliers enter into the twenties in the draft, this would quickly add more depth to the rotation on a cheap rookie contract.

The deal would have to be short-sighted. The Cavs would need to believe that both Evan Mobley and Darius Garland will improve enough to reach the Finals incredibly soon before the team breaches the ominous second luxury tax apron being introduced in the new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

Maybe, though, that’s simply worth it. Bring another championship to Cleveland. There might be a rocky road ahead once the team has to make hard decisions regarding Porzingis and Mitchell staying or leaving. But, even reaching the NBA Finals this early would give Cleveland’s beloved young duo in Garland and Mobley invaluable experience and knowledge to catapult themselves into a new era during their primes.

The Cavaliers made an all-in move to get Donovan Mitchell last year, and that took the Cavs to their first Playoff appearance since LeBron James left to Los Angeles in 2018. Maybe one more big swing this summer gets them over the hurdle.