With four star players comprising the Cleveland Cavaliers' core, there is little reason to explore the trade market ahead of the upcoming February 6 deadline.
Donovan Mitchell is once again one of the best star guards in the NBA. His scoring output can rarely be stopped, and when he cannot pile up points, his distribution and basketball IQ shine to get his teammates easy looks. Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen are enjoying another season of tremendous basketball, and Evan Mobley is ascending as a legitimate superstar forward.
These four players have helped lead the Cavs to an NBA-best record, besting some of the top contenders in both conferences. Cleveland has swept their two-game interconference regular season series with the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets and just beat the top Western Conference squad in the Oklahoma City Thunder in a national television showdown.
With a team setting franchise records with a 15-0 start to the season, few would find reasons to make any deals at the deadline. The core stars are giving the Cavaliers everything they could ask for. This was not always the outlook of this team, though. At the end of last season, Cleveland looked lost. Mobley's development stagnated. Garland had lost his confidence. Allen and Mitchell were great, but the rest of the team didn't fit yet.
The Cavaliers could have star chased last summer
Cleveland's consecutive playoff disappointments made them appear like a team ready to make a big splash, adding a proven star to pair with Mitchell. They had young talent that could attract a suitor. Making a major move could prove to the Cavs' new superstar that they were ready to contend for the Finals with him. That led to countless trade rumors, especially after a bombshell report suggested Garland's agent could try to force a trade.
One name appeared on the market as a possible option: Jimmy Butler of the Miami Heat. Butler had led the Heat to two NBA Finals appearances despite being the underdogs in almost every playoff matchup. Known for his playoff star power, "Playoff Jimmy" looked like the perfect solution for a franchise that was just embarrassed in the postseason twice in a row.
From an outside perspective, maybe it was time to move on from some of the young core to get a veteran star. One offseason mock trade proposed just that in a deal that would have severely undervalued the Cavs' stars in the hopes that Jimmy Buckets could save a franchise that was not in need of saving.
The bizarre proposal
In an earlier trade piece, the Cavs would have dealt both Garland and Allen alongside the 2024 first-round pick that became Jaylon Tyson to the Heat for Jimmy Butler, Caleb Martin and Josh Richardson. Surrendering two former All-Stars in their early-to-mid twenties is easily seen as a rush, asinine approach to solving the Cavs' issues.
If the Cavaliers had stuck with J.B. Bickerstaff at head coach, there may still be an argument for this trade. Bickerstaff's offensive system did not lend itself to Cleveland's backcourt, and the team could not find a solution to Allen and Mobley as a redundant frontcourt. The stars were overplayed, leading to injuries by the time the playoffs approached. Adding Butler to the mix could have given the Cavs a more clearly-defined core.
Now, though, Butler would be a massive mistake for the Cavaliers. Even in the offseason, moving on from Allen and Garland for the Heat star was a ridiculous overpay. The author of that article? The same one writing this piece. Months ago, this trade piece tried to respect Butler's playoff legacy as a playoff riser. He had led Miami to the Finals, an accomplishment no Cavalier not named LeBron James had done. In a vacuum, Butler undeniably was a better player than either Garland or Allen last year. That is entirely different now.
The Cavaliers stars are too valuable
This season, Butler is averaging 17.6 points and 5.5 rebounds in 22 games played. Currently, Miami's All-Star wing is serving a seven-game suspension handed down by the team for conduct detrimental to the team. This dramatic series of events, a recurring habit of Butler's exit from a team, is the first sign the Cavaliers have always been better off avoiding him.
In his comeback season, Garland is averaging 20.4 points and 6.7 assists, playing in 35 games thus far. Allen is dominating the glass, grabbing 10.1 rebounds while scoring 14.1 points per game. Either player could be considered more impactful that Butler this season, especially with the Cavaliers' new offensive system under Kenny Atkinson.
The best part of the Cavs' core is not the statistics, though. It is the culture and community. For all of Butler's talents, his antics can kill team chemistry and destroy any chance at contention. His dramatics with the Minnesota Timberwolves were forgiven, considering the team's other flaws. With a historically-great franchise such as the Miami Heat with an all-time great head coach Erik Spoelstra, the blame finally must land on the common denominator.
Cleveland does not have to concern itself with locker room tension. Garland looks happier and more confident than he has ever looked in the past, shining alongside Mitchell as a lethal backcourt tandem. Allen is a no-nonsense, team-first star big man who is happy to play his role no matter what it takes. Whether he takes a backseat on offense or leads the squad, the Fro is all smiles once another W is added to the tally. Same with Garland. These reasons, along with their box score numbers, make Garland and Allen more valuable to the Cavaliers than any version of Jimmy Butler could be.
During a summer when the Cleveland Cavaliers looked like they were ready to implode, a guaranteed playoff star like Jimmy Butler is an easy option to get excited about on paper. Bickerstaff likely would not have given the Cavs the offensive boost and flow they now enjoy, which could have made Butler still a better option than running back the same stagnant system once again. Thankfully, the overly reactionary trade piece is nothing more than a laughable look back at just how ridiculous trade rumors became thanks to one dramatic article filled with rumors and speculation.