The Cleveland Cavaliers would be justified in standing pat at the NBA Trade Deadline.
They are 33-5 on the season, still on pace for 70+ wins even after a disappointing home loss to the Indiana Pacers on Sunday night, and have a significant 5.5 game cushion on the second-place Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference standings. There is no clear and obvious need on the roster that needs to be addressed by trade.
The argument could be made, therefore, that the Cavaliers shouldn't mess with a good thing. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!" Letting this deep and versatile group ride it out to the postseason is not only a reasonable choice, it may be the best choice.
The other side of the argument, however, would be that if the Cavaliers are this close to a title, but not the clear title favorite, now is the time to make even marginal improvements to increase their chances. The title window is open; they should do everything in their power to force it open even wider.
That could mean minor deals, such as trading for a backup center or a low-cost 3-and-D wing to provide some depth. Yet it could also mean a more significant trade, and rumors are swirling that such a move may be on the table.
If the Cavaliers want to go after a significant player they have some of the means to do so. Caris LeVert is having a great season and is a viable Sixth Man of the Year candidate, but he is also on an expiring contract and the team will be hard-pressed to re-sign him to a market deal this summer. His skillset has always been somewhat redundant on the team, and it's easy to make the case that a larger player who thrives more off-the-ball would fit better.
ESPN's Dave McMenamin hypothesized that that Cavaliers could use LeVert's contract as the primary means of bringing back a forward having a career year on a tanking team, elevating the team's offensive firepower even further.
That player? Cameron Johnson of the Brooklyn Nets.
Building a trade for Cameron Johnson
Cam Johnson is having the best season of his career for the scrappy Nets, a team that has needed to unload multiple key players just to stop winning games in a season they are supposed to use for draft positioning. Too good to tank and too bad to win a playoff series is NBA purgatory, and Brooklyn wants to avoid that reality. That makes Johnson a prime candidate to be traded.
Johnson is ignoring the noise and playing excellent basketball. He is shooting a blistering 43.6 percent from deep on 7.5 attempts per game, propelling him to a 19.5 points per game scoring average that is easily a career high. He has taken a step forward as a playmaker, is not a train wreck defensively and has incredible shooting gravity.
Here is what the proposed deal would look like:
Johnson has always been deployed as more of a power forward than a wing, but on the Cavaliers he could either start at the 3 in a "Triple Towers" lineup (although he's a few inches shorter than Lauri Markkanen was when he was in town) or come off the bench as the team's Sixth Man, playing ample minutes at backup power forward next to both Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen and a smattering of minutes beside both.
His shooting would be an instant impact, matching LeVert and Niang's efficiency on an even greater volume and with even greater gravity. Defensively he does not have the versatility of LeVert, but the Cavs do have other options for that role in Isaac Okoro, Dean Wade and Max Strus.
Does this make the Cavaliers an obviously better team? It's difficult to answer for this season, but the answer is probably yes - still, LeVert has been tremendous, and Niang has really found his spot on the team, so it's not obvious or significant. Against playoff competition, however, it does seem like having Johnson on board would be an improvement.
He is also under contract moving forward, which is a positive in that he won't walk for nothing this summer, but a restriction as the Cavs will almost certainly be in the second luxury tax apron next season and committed to this core group for the next few seasons.
Is this trade worth it? It's a hard thing to say, as firing off their last real bullets in LeVert and their 2031 first-round pick, the only first they are allowed to trade right now, is a major commitment. Yet the time is now to make a run at the title, and Johnson would help them not just this season but for years to come.
This is a true toss-up deal. If the Nets are willing to make this trade and don't have a better offer on the table, the Cavaliers should think long and hard about this one. The upside is tantalizing.