The Cleveland Cavaliers have 14 players on their primary roster this season, and all 14 players have appeared in a game now that Max Strus has made his season debut. Of those 13 players, only one has a negative point differential.
That is Tristan Thompson, the team's third-string center and a valued veteran voice in the locker room. Thompson is obviously beloved by the franchise, but if they ever need to rely on him to play minutes in a game that matters, the Cavaliers have to expect those minutes to go disastrously. It's time to find another big man to have on hand.
It doesn't make sense for Cleveland to push all of its remaining assets into the middle for a third-string player who won't see the court if Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen are both healthy, but it is a problem that needs to be addressed. Given the team's depth at every other position, it makes sense to give this problem some attention.
If the Cavs are going to look to the trade market for a solution, here are three names who could make sense to join the Cleveland roster and shore up the center position.
No. 1: Day'Ron Sharpe, Brooklyn Nets
One of the greatest players in franchise history, Brad Daugherty, was a big man who came through the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Could Cleveland roll the dice on another UNC big and see if he can thrive in a Cavaliers uniform?
Day'Ron Sharpe is in his fourth season after the Brooklyn Nets drafted him 29th overall in the 2021 NBA Draft. He has played in 151 games but started only 12 of them, finding himself behind the likes of Nic Claxton and Andre Drummond or smallball options like Ben Simmons and Dorian Finney-Smith.
There is plenty of motor and power, though, and perhaps a level of untapped potential. At the very least, Sharpe will bring rebounding ability, an area where the Cavaliers could use some extra oomph. Sharpe has a career rebound percentage of 22 percent; that would rank first on the Cavaliers by a few percentage points.
Sharpe is fine as a drop defender but vulnerable in space, and he doesn't bring much on offense other than catching lobs or putting back offensive rebounds. For what the Cavs need, however, that's a fine skillset to add, and it's possible they can help Sharpe develop into a more skilled player in Cleveland in a way he hasn't grown in Brooklyn.
No. 2: Larry Nance, Atlanta Hawks
We have discussed this option multiple times here on the site, but that is because the reunion is too obvious: the Cleveland Cavaliers should strongly consider trading for Larry Nance.
To make another connection to the 1990s Cavaliers, Larry Nance Sr. was one of the best defensive players in franchise history, and it felt right for Cleveland to acquire his son in 2018. Nance Jr. was a versatile player for the Cavs and played a significant role before he was sent out in the sign-and-trade that brought Lauri Markkanen to town.
Nance is now on the Atlanta Hawks and largely chilling as the third-string center. That could make him available for trade, and he would seem to help the Cavs more than the Hawks. His shooting ability would allow him to play alongside Mobley or Allen, and he can also play center when one of the two is unavailable or in 5-out lineups.
Nance has a spotty injury record, so putting him in a low-minute role where he can take multiple games off in order to be healthy for the postseason makes a lot of sense, and it would be available for him in Cleveland. His larger salary would require trading a rotation player like Georges Niang, but it would probably be worth the upgrade.
No. 3: Duop Reath, Portland Trail Blazers
The sneaky player for Cleveland to target in a deal is Portland Trail Blazers center Duop Reath, who is currently the fourth-string center on a bad Portland team. He has appeared in just 14 games this season, many of them in the fourth quarter of blowouts, and averaged just six minutes per appearance.
That hardly sounds like the kind of player a contending team should acquire, but Reath showed last season in a larger role how valuable he can be. He is a career 36 percent shooter from 3-point range and also offers a versatile defensive skillset. If the Cavaliers want to be able to go to a two-big lineup without compromising their space, Reath could offer a low-cost option to fill that role.
Reath could then develop into a larger role down the line, or be flipped for greater value down the road. Portland doesn't have much leverage to exact a high price, and that could allow the Cavaliers to bring in the Australian big man at a discount.
Any of these three options should be available for less than a full first-round pick, and would equip the Cavaliers for a postseason run and protect them from an injury to their two star big men.