After a disappointing playoff exit, the Cleveland Cavaliers spent this offseason retooling their bench lineup and building around their core. Their 3-point shooting was a glaring shortcoming and was swiftly answered by acquiring Max Strus and Georges Niang.
Entering the 2023-24 season, the Cavaliers will look similar, having kept their core players. Their depth and offensive versatility will be much improved, though, if implemented correctly by head coach J.B. Bickerstaff.
Cleveland’s every possible weakness is not just solved, however. Both Max Strus and Isaac Okoro stand at only 6-foot-5, making them shorter than the majority of small forwards in the Association. Additionally, both players answer one question for the Cavs while creating another. Okoro’s defense can create extra scoring opportunities for Cleveland, but his imperfect shooting leads to failed conversions of those chances. Strus can knock down those shots, but his defense does not create them as often.
In their frontcourt, the Cavs will rely on Niang and Dean Wade to backup Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. Wade’s overall inconsistency has hurt the obvious value he can provide, and Niang’s lack of speed and athleticism hurts his defense and rebounding efforts.
Before the NBA season begins, the Cavaliers would be smart to consolidate some of their growing depth to bring in more reliable, complete role players.
There is a seemingly endless surplus of talent in the NBA, and as an emerging contender, the Cavaliers could be a perfect situation for many of the league’s best role players. With their current construction and remaining assets in mind, these five players would be the best trade targets for Cleveland before training camp begins.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have built their success through a defense-first identity under head coach J.B. Bickerstaff. With Mobley and Allen in the paint, Cleveland earned the league’s best defense in the regular season. Additionally, Donovan Mitchell recorded one of his best defensive seasons since joining the NBA, snagging 1.5 steals per game with a 111 defensive rating in his first year with the Cavs.
In the wake of Ricky Rubio stepping away from basketball for the time being, it would benefit the Cavaliers to find another defensive-minded guard to lead the second unit backcourt. Since his 2020 NBA Finals performance with the Lakers, Alex Caruso has become a poster child for NBA backcourt defense, and rightfully so.
Caruso left Los Angeles for the midwestern Chicago Bulls and impacted their struggling defense alongside Lonzo Ball.
At 29 years old, though, Caruso is in the midst of his prime years, and the Bulls are far from competing in the highest ranks of NBA action. The lack of direction in Chicago and Caruso’s perfect fit in Cleveland makes him an ideal last minute trade option to bolster the Cavaliers bench.
While Caruso’s defense is his biggest claim to fame, he is no slouch on offense, either. He averaged 5.6 points and 2.9 assists in only 23.5 minutes per game last season and shot 36.4 percent from 3-point range on 2.3 attempts. Caruso may not be headed to the All-Star Game for his offense, but the Cavaliers do not need that from him. He can contribute consistently on both ends of the court, giving the Cavs time to rest their stars in difficult games.
That said, Cleveland’s biggest needs are still on the wing and frontcourt. This next target could improve their forward presence immediately.
If the Cavaliers want to improve their size at the three spot, 2022 first-round pick Tari Eason could be the perfect choice. Standing at 6-foot-8, Eason was a reliable option for the Rockets at both the small and power forward positions.
Although the Cavs improved their wing and forward spots, there is still room to improve. Similar to last season, the majority of minutes both in the starting five and bench will be up for grabs every night at the small forward position. In Cleveland, he would likely be one of the first options off the bench with a chance to earn a starting role by the end of the season.
In his rookie season, Eason averaged 9.3 points and 6 rebounds, shooting 34.3 percent from deep. His game is unrefined, but his offense already shows signs of great potential, and his strengths meet what the Cavaliers need.
Defensively, Eason stands out among the crowd. He was in the 93rd percentile for blocks at the forward position, per Cleaning the Glass (subscription required). Additionally, Eason ranked in the highest percentile for offensive rebounding for forwards. At only 22 years old, Eason could be a substantial contributor for the Cavs for a long time.
A player of his age and potential does not come cheap, though, meaning the Cavaliers would likely have to part ways with one of Isaac Okoro or Dean Wade, if not both, along with future second-round picks. The choice relies on how the Cavs believe they will do next postseason. If they view themselves as one key trade away from true contention, than Eason could easily be that option.
Secondly, if Cleveland is ready to move on from Okoro or Wade, Eason would slot into either role on the team with ease, especially with Strus and Niang carrying some of that responsibility as well.
Next, the Cavaliers should revisit a trade from last season that neared completion.
The Cavaliers were connected to Royce O’Neale in trade talks since last trade deadline, but they could not finish the deal. Brooklyn chose instead to retain O’Neale, possibly to see if his value is higher in the summer.
At the end of August, Bleacher Report listed O’Neale as one of the Cavaliers’ best trade targets. His fit is clear in Cleveland, shooting 38.4 percent on 3-pointers over his career, and his current team has a surplus of forwards with not enough minutes to distribute.
The 30-year-old veteran gives the Cavs another leader in the locker room, and his connection as a former teammate (and present friend) of Donovan Mitchell makes his transition to the Cavaliers system and culture swift.
Unfortunately, while O’Neale has been linked to the Cavaliers numerous times, no deal has come to fruition, but after a failed attempt to acquire P.J. Washington from Charlotte, finally bringing O’Neale to Cleveland would be an ideal storybook ending to a terrific offseason.
Only time will tell if O’Neale will actually end up in the wine and gold, but there still remain two other possible trade targets before training camp.
After their major moves in free agency, the Cavaliers transitioned to increasing their post player depth by trading for Damian Jones from the Utah Jazz. While Jones offers the Cavs a backup big in the case of injury, his lack of versatility has left him getting inconsistent playtime throughout his career.
The Cavaliers do not need a starting caliber center, but building up their frontcourt more before the season begins would be a smart move. Should they choose to do so, Mike Muscala would make a perfect target. Traded from the Celtics to Wizards in the Kristaps Porzingis-Marcus Smart trade, Muscala could be rerouted to the Cavaliers in a simple late summer transaction.
Next season, Muscala will be on a cheap $3.5 million salary, meaning the Cavs could easily match his contract in trade talks without sacrificing any significant players.
The veteran big not only offers the Cavaliers another player near 7-feet tall, but he also offers a big man who can stretch the floor, shooting 37.9 percent from beyond the arc over his career. Under Cleveland’s system, Muscala could make the most of his offensive talents, and he could pair well in a small role next to Evan Mobley.
Muscala is a cheap, easily implemented center off the bench for Cleveland, and his presence would only serve to improve the Cavaliers’ chances by adding another layer of versatility to their offensive gameplan.
Finally, the weeks before training camp are the last chance to make a big swing and still have time to build chemistry by opening night. In the unlikely scenario that the Cavaliers are ready to shift their core, this former champion could be a great candidate.
Like the Brooklyn Nets, the Golden State Warriors have a wealth of forwards but not enough minutes for all of them. In their 2022 NBA Finals run, young forward Moses Moody appeared to be a secret weapon for GSW.
As the Warriors prepare for a final run at the title with their current core, trading Moody could be a reasonable option if the right deal manifested. The Cavaliers could give Moody the best environment for him to grow and continue competing for playoff success. In the right situation, a deal between Cleveland and Golden State would be an ideal pairing for both teams.
Last year, Moody only received 13 minutes per game, though he managed to make the most of every chance he got. He shot 36.3 percent from 3-point range and averaged 4.8 points and 1.7 rebounds. While Moody has shown his value in the NBA, he is behind both Andrew Wiggins and Jonathan Kuminga in Golden State’s rotation. A new environment such as Cleveland with more playing time could open up a path to Moody reaching his full potential.
On a rookie scale contract, Moody is an affordable and low-risk trade target for the Cavs in a last minute move. At 6-foot-6, Moody improves Cleveland’s size at the forward spot a bit. He can also play at the two guard position, giving Cleveland another rotational piece in the backcourt.
While the Cavs have made great strides this offseason, finding a final move to push them over the edge into contention should be at the top of their priority list. Any of these five players (or a combination of a few) could prove to be the right move.