Breaking news: The Cleveland Cavaliers are linked to a Brooklyn Nets veteran wing. Will they make a deal happen? Is Cleveland willing to include any rotation players or draft assets? How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?
The world may never know.
Most recently, though, the Cavs have once again been named as a potentially serious suitor for a highly-coveted 3-and-D Brooklyn Nets wing, Cam Johnson. The 6'8" combo forward presents an ideal solution to many of Cleveland's lingering ailments. He is a tall, versatile forward with exceptional shooting talents. While he might not be an All-Defensive type guy, he stays in front of his assignment and can make a good impact on defense as either a three or a four.
This season, Johnson is averaging a career-high 19.6 points and 4.2 rebounds in 32.5 minutes per game. With shooting splits of 50/43/90, it's easy to see why the 28-year-old sharpshooter is one of the NBA's top trade targets this year. The Cavaliers, though, have been linked to him and other Nets wings for years. If there is any time to make a deal, it's when Cleveland has the best offense in the league and looks like the best challenger to the Boston Celtics' attempt for a repeat.
Why the Cavaliers need Cam Johnson
The Cavaliers, to their credit, have made life difficult on plenty of big wings with their undersized depth chart. Isaac Okoro is a menace defensively, and Max Strus can leverage his strength to make an impression. Dean Wade has size to match, but he is the only one who does not compete from a disadvantage. Offensively, all three can knock down an open three and make plays at the rim. Overall, though, the Cavs lack something on the wing, and it has become clear it's size.
After the worst loss of the season in a rematch against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Cleveland head coach Kenny Atkinson addressed the difficulty big wings give the Cavaliers, calling the assessment "totally fair". Obviously, it is not Atkinson's job to make a trade for a big wing. He can try to find the solution internally, but he cannot give Okoro the Captain America Super Soldier Serum to give him some more height.
The burden falls on the front office to give Atkinson the right tools to succeed. Thus far, he has found every ounce of success possible with this squad. Without a trade, the Cavs are undoubtedly title contenders. No team mistakenly earns the NBA's best record and sets franchise records for season-opening win streaks.
If, though, Atkinson is willing to plainly state that the franchise lacks an answer to the most important role in the NBA, maybe it's time the Cavs make a change. This is a stark departure from the rest of this year's commentary on the Cavaliers and the trade market. They had yet to be linked to any serious interest in the market, but The Athletic's confirmation in Cleveland's intrigue toward Johnson could signal something is brewing.
How serious, however, is yet to be seen. The Cavs have had more than enough opportunities but have watched every single one slip through their fingers.
Cleveland's failed Nets negotiations
Since acquiring Donovan Mitchell in 2022, the Cavaliers have been linked to Nets wings every trade deadline and offseason. At first, Royce O'Neale seemed like a Thanos-level inevitability to wind up in a wine and gold jersey. Instead, Mitchell's former Utah Jazz teammate ended up in sunny Phoenix, Arizona to play alongside Kevin Durant and Devin Booker.
The Cavaliers nearly came to terms on a deal for O'Neale, but it fell through ahead of the trade buzzer. Cleveland would have sent Isaac Okoro in return during a time when Okoro's trade value was much lower than it is today after the young wing has developed a believable three-point shot. If the Cavs were able to build a trade for a then-underwhelming prospect, they could reasonably construct a package worthy of Johnson.
Following O'Neale's departure to the Suns, the Cavaliers' focus shifted to Johnson and his running mate Dorian Finney-Smith. Finney-Smith, while older and less of an offensive dynamo, seemed a more realistic pickup. The former Dallas Maverick makes roughly $10 million less than Johnson but offered much of the same positives as his teammate. Instead of striking a deal, though, Cleveland watched DFS pack up and move to Los Angeles to join LeBron James and the Lakers.
If the Cavaliers stay quiet at the trade deadline, it would be their third consecutive deadline not only going without a trade, but also their third year being "seriously linked" to a Brooklyn Nets veteran wing without making a move.
Admittedly, some parts of this dilemma are out of the Cavs' control with limited draft compensation to offer. And this season, things are going great, making very little reasons to chase a trade. Still, the Cavs have contracts and young talent to offer the Nets, and if truly ready to make a noticeable upgrade on the wing, Cleveland could include a 2030 first-round pick swap. At King James Gospel, we have built a handful of mock trades for Johnson, and while the money is not easy to match at roughly $23 million, it is very possible.
In every trade made, both teams sacrifice. When it comes to the Cleveland Cavaliers recently, they seem unwilling to make these concessions. At some point, though, the Brooklyn Nets will run out of exciting veteran forwards. Either Cavs president of basketball operations Koby Altman makes the trade now, or there's little point in furthering the conversation anymore.