Cavaliers top trade targets published: Which of these players could Cleveland add?

The Cleveland Cavaliers are not a team with a lot of glaring needs.

They have the high-end star power, with Donovan Mitchell balling out and Darius Garland taking a step forward. They have the interior power with Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. Players like Caris LeVert, Dean Wade and Isaac Okoro are high-end connective pieces, and that’s before the return of Max Strus from injury. Ty Jerome has become a human flamethrower. This team is high-octane and they are deep.

That doesn’t mean they can’t look for upgrades, however, especially if the right trade materializes. Trading all of their assets for a lateral move doesn’t make sense, but a modest asset for a modest improvement could be that 5 percent increase that makes the difference in the playoffs.

What players could the Cavaliers be targeting on the trade market? The answer is likely centered around the power forward position, a player who can defend forwards and shoot the basketball alongside one of the two bigs — essentially, a supplement or injury replacement for Dean Wade, depending on whether the oft-injured forward is on the shelf.

Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report recently highlighted three trade targets for every team in the league, and he named three forwards for the Cavs to take a look at. Would any of them make sense for Cleveland to target? Let’s take a look at each in turn.

Dorian Finney-Smith, F, Brooklyn Nets

A name that has been floated for the Cavaliers to have interest in for years, Dorian Finney-Smith is the consummate professional combo forward for the modern NBA. He has improved as a 3-point shooter, hitting 42.5 percent of his long-range. shots, which paired with his above-average defense gives you a valuable 3-and-D forward. If he is hitting his shots for Brooklyn, how many more open looks will he get with the Cavaliers?

Finney-Smith is now 31 years old, so he may not have a ton left in the tank, but he's playing extremely well on a surprisingly good Brooklyn Nets team and hasn't shown signs of falling off quite yet. He would be a valuable addition to the Cavs' rotation if they could acquire him without sacrificing another valuable piece.

The most difficult part is finding matching salary for a deal. Finney-Smith makes a hair under $15 million this season. Putting Georges Niang and Dean Wade together would make the money work. Is he an upgrade on Dean Wade? Not on-the-court, but perhaps he is more valuable because he can be available more often.

Verdict: Matching salary makes this too expensive

Cody Martin, F, Charlotte Hornets

This year's Charlotte Hornets have more verve under head coach Charles Lee, and he looks to be building a foundation that can grow into a good team over the next few seasons. At 6-12, however, this season is unlikely to go anywhere, and that means the Hornets may be open to offloading a few veteran players by the Trade Deadline.

Cody Martin is an intriguing target for the Cavaliers, an undersized forward at 6'5" who nonetheless plays many of his minutes at the 4. He plays strong and moves his feet well, and he is one of the few good defenders on the Hornets right now. He's hitting a competent 35.5 percent of his 3-pointers, so he has the outline of a player who would be valuable to contending teams.

Martin is also making just $8.1 million this season and $8.6 million next year, making him relatively easy to trade for and on a bargain deal for another season. The Cavaliers could therefore trade Goerges Niang straight-up for Martin, perhaps tossing in a second-round pick. Is Martin's defense worth losing Niang's shooting? It's an interesting question, but given the lack of shooting from their centers, it's probably better to have Niang around.

Verdict: Interesting, but a pass

Larry Nance Jr., F/C, Atlanta Hawks

One player type that the Cavaliers do not have on their roster is a stretch-5. Dean Wade has played minutes at the 5 in a facsimile of such a player, but the Cavs have three centers on their roster and none of them shoot 3-pointers. When you add in the fact that Tristan Thompson has largely looked cooked when he has been on the court (without taking away from his valuable veteran leadership in the locker room and on the sideline) adding another big man would make a lot of sense.

Bringing back Larry Nance Jr. would give the Cavaliers more depth at center and add a stretch big who could pair with either Evan Mobley or Jarrett Allen in big lineups, thus checking the power forward need as well. As the third center on the Atlanta Hawks, it's not unreasonable that he could be available on the trade market.

As with any trade target, however, Cleveland has to play a game of "Match That Salary!' and things get thornier. Nance's salary is much easier to get to at $11 million, however, and if they give up on hopes of getting out of the luxury tax they could merely swap Georges Niang for Nance and it would be a legal trade. Would Niang and a couple of seconds get the job done for the Hawks?

Verdict: Get this trade done!