In the offseason, the Cleveland Cavaliers made multiple roster moves to boost their 3-point shooting and forward depth.
During the playoff loss to the New York Knicks, Cleveland’s worrisome floor stretching and uninspiring rebounding decimated any possibilities for them to advance in the postseason. Following their early exit, the Cavaliers added Max Strus and Georges Niang to the ranks alongside re-signing Caris LeVert. Later in the summer, the Cavs acquired Ty Jerome and Damian Jones, then lastly brought 2016 NBA Champion Tristan Thompson back for his veteran leadership and interior presence.
Given their sluggish season start and last year’s disappointing end, the improved Cavaliers still have questions to answer right now. As third-party observers, it is impossible to recognize the full picture better than those directly involved with the roster.
To improve their rotation, Cleveland may need to explore personnel changes even further. Whether that comes through trade, free agent signings, or coaching changes, a smart move could help the Cavs get out of this rut they have found for themselves.
When the season began, the biggest question remaining seemed to be the frontcourt rotation, considering Jones’ inability to find rotation minutes consistently and Thompson’s age. Thus far, while Jones has not produced too well for Cleveland, Thompson has proven his value, at least for the regular season.
Going forward, though, the incomplete Cavaliers will need to bolster their competitiveness. The path for this is not clear, as they may only need marginal depth improvements or identity shifting moves.
This is the second part in a two-part article identifying the best trade target on every NBA team for the Cavaliers. The first piece focused on the Eastern Conference, and this will detail one player on every Western Conference rival the Cavaliers could target before the February trade deadline.