Building a contender takes time and a lot of risks, and the Cleveland Cavaliers are learning that truth the hard way.
In the past, the formula was simple: add LeBron James. In 2014, James' return included a trade for All-NBA forward Kevin Love to form a big three with young guard Kyrie Irving. Instantly, Cleveland went from a lottery-bound franchise to the favorite team in the Eastern Confrence. After four Finals appearances and one victory, the Cavs entered a rebuild again in 2018 and have steadily climbed back to contention status.
Unfortunately for the Cavaliers, LeBron is still with the Los Angeles Lakers and does not seem hell bent on returning. Not yet, at least. If the Cavs hope to reach the Finals again, they will have to construct a winning roster without the King of Akron as the pillar. Donovan Mitchell joined the team in 2022 and has collected more accolades than any non-LeBron Cavalier in that four-year span, but the roster around him has not been able to cover for his worst flaws.
Entering the 2026 offseason, the Cavaliers are clearly on the market to take the next step, but their paths to do so are limited at best. Cleveland was briefly in the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes in a potential Evan Mobley swap, but the Cavaliers are hestitant to lose their homegrown All-Star.
Last summer, finding a trade for the Cavs was nearly impossible with the team entering the second apron. This year, with James Harden's contract likely helping Cleveland dip below, making a good trade is more straightforward. Constructing a trade that benefits both the Cavs and the other party equally, however, is still a monumental task.
Looking at Cleveland's roster, the biggest area of need for another star is undoubtedly the wing. The Cavaliers have two All-Stars in the backcourt and will seemingly retain Mobley in the frontcourt. Adding a go-to scorer and two-way talent on the wing could be the final piece to elevate the Cavaliers. If Cleveland wants to make a deal, calling up Harden's old squad could be the perfect solution.
Bringing Kawhi Leonard to the Cavs
One major concern for any star trade is going to be health and availability. It is no secret that a selling point for Harden in Cleveland was his durability. A detractor for a Giannis deal is his recent injury woes, especialy in the Playoffs. Kawhi Leonard, though notorious for injuries, has enjoyed reliable health in three of his last four seasons. This past season he played 65 games, officially qualifying for end-of-season honors.
Adding Kawhi to the Cavaliers could be the perfect option to find another star talent without dealing away Mobley. At 34 years old, Leonard is not the league's best defender of old, but he is still a quality two-way talent and is capable of impacting the game on and off the ball on offense.
In a Leonard trade, the Cavaliers could stack together Jarrett Allen with the team's three mid-sized contracts in Max Strus, Dennis Schröder and Sam Merrill. In return, the LA Clippers would send back Leonard and power forward Isaiah Jackson. It gives the Cavaliers a leading star player and an ideal starting forward next to a full-time center Mobley.
Last season, Kawhi averaged 27.9 points and 6.4 rebounds per game, help turn around the Clippers' disastrous opening weeks to the regular season. He earned All-NBA second team honors for the first time since 2021, showcasing just how well he has recovered from a string of injury-riddled seasons. Given his inflated contract, it would cost the Cavaliers a lot to acquire Kawhi, but his talent and fit next to Mitchell and Mobley is undeniably worth the risk.
Leonard is a premier two-way star, and offensively he is adaptive. With the ball in his hands, Kawhi can create his own shot by driving to the paint, finding a mid-range shot or creating an open look and knocking down a three. He provides size and versatility to the Cavaliers' core that they have not had since LeBron's 2018 exit.
Alongside Kawhi, Jackson is a serviceable young player with promise. He joined the Clippers at the trade deadline from the Indiana Pacers as part of the Ivicia Zubac deal. With LA, he averaged 7.5 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. While Jackson has primarily played as a small-ball center throughout his career, he would fit well as a forward next to Mobley in the frontcourt.
While Jackson is not a guaranteed homerun addition, Leonard is. Kawhi is a two-time NBA champion and two-time Finals MVP. His career has not been perfect, but he is still a winning player and fits the Cavs' core perfectly.
The Cavaliers need to chase Leonard
If there is anything this last season taught the Cavaliers, it's that the front office must find another consistent producer alongside Mitchell without sacrificing defense. Harden is a small step above Garland as a defender given his size and strength, but Cleveland's biggest weaknesses are still wing defense and offensive creation. Kawhi solves both of these.
In the playoffs this year, if Mitchell or Harden were off the court, the Cavs' shot generation lagged. Mobley showed improvement as a shot creator, but he does not carry enough offensive gravity to force a defense to collapse and allow an easy kick out to a shooter or dump pass to a cutter. Adding Leonard gives the Cavaliers four star players who can create for themselves and others.
Cleveland is clearly in a win-now mode, and while Mobley is off the trade market, the team cannot sit idle this summer. Exiting the second apron gives the Cavaliers a plethora of avenues for growth, most notably in combining salaries for another star player. This trade not only gives Cleveland a star forward and a solid frontcourt player, but it also drops another $11.3 million from the team's cap sheet. That flexibility would allow the Cavs to retain Dean Wade and/or Keon Ellis in free agency, draft a promising rookie at number 29 and chase other free agents in the open market.
For the Clippers, this deal might not give them a haul of draft picks for Leonard, but it provides LAC with four veteran players who know how to play with Garland and offer winning skill sets. The Clippers get younger overall, add a trustworthy starting center, a good backup point guard and two veterans at the league's most valued role as a 3-and-D wing.
The trade is an unorthodox approach to a star trade, but it is nonetheless a balanced offer for a 34-year-old Kawhi Leonard. LA does not own many of their own draft picks for the near future, so a full rebuild is out of the picture. This trade give the Clippers more flexibility and youth to stay competitive while still rebuilding.
For the Cleveland Cavaliers, the answer this summer is simple: Do what it takes to win. The franchise's championship window got shorter with the addition of Harden, but the Cavs already saw progress with his arrival by reaching the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in the Mitchell era. Cleveland has no choice but to capitalize on that success and go all in on another proven star player. Kawhi Leonard is the best possible fit and is the most attainable option.
Add us as a preferred source on Google