Pros and cons of Cavaliers’ proposed trade for 3-and-D forward

Most teams that have 3-and-D forwards are going to be loath to give them up. They are a valuable commodity, the kind of player every contending team wants and can’t get enough of. A player who elevates your offense and defense without needing the ball is a valuable thing.

Finding such a player on the trade market without giving up a king’s ransom is difficult, but not impossible. The target team needs to be one less focused on winning immediately that has a surplus of wings. Enter the Brooklyn Nets, who are absolutely loaded on the wing.

Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report recently looked at trade ideas for all 30 NBA teams, and his trade idea for the Cleveland Cavaliers targeted the Nets as a potential trade partner. Here is what it looked like:

The Cavaliers have limited assets available to swing a deal, so they need to make sure they are making the right one before pulling the trigger. Dorian Finney-Smith was sublime as the 3-and-D forward alongside Luka Doncic for multiple seasons with the Dallas Mavericks, but he is also 30 years old and has an inconsistent jumpshot. He shot just 30.6 percent from deep in 26 games with the Nets last season; small sample size for sure, but concerning.

Giving up both Isaac Okoro and Dean Wade is painful as well. It’s unlikely both have large rotation roles this season, but the Cavs were going to lean on one or the other for bench defense. Moving both puts a lot of pressure on Finney-Smith to step in immediately and have a major impact. And is it obviously clear that “DFS” is a major upgrade on Wade?

Those are the reasons not to make this trade; let’s look at the reasons the Cavs might want to pull the trigger and then issue a final verdict.