Despite rumors arguing the Cleveland Cavaliers will stay silent at the coming NBA trade deadline, commentators and onlookers believe the Cavs' stance could be a smokescreen.
It has been an undeniably rough season for the Cavaliers. Though they sit fifth in the Eastern Conference with a 26-20 record, injuries have hampered all momentum, and many players hoped to elevate the franchise have fallen far from expectations.
Cleveland is allowing opponents to shoot a league-high 38.1 percent on three-pointers against them, and they are only connecting on 35.4 percent (16th-best) in return while shooting 41.6 attempts per game. For a team founded on a defensive identity years ago, the current composition leaves opponents wide open and rarely closes out in time.
The Cavaliers have offered little explanation, often citing lucky shooting nights far too often, and analysts are taking notice.
With trade deadline approaching, Cleveland's chance to make change is quickly closing. Sam Vecenie, an NBA draft guru senior writer at The Athletic, believes the Cavaliers' firm stance to keep the team together could change before the deadline buzzer.
Vecenie picks a pair of Cavaliers to trade
In a recent episode of Game Theory Podcast with Sam Vecenie, Vecenie and guest Bryce Simon discuss Jaylon Tyson's rise and what that could mean for the Cavaliers' trade plans. Vecenie begins by praising Tyson's growth after being selected by the Cavs 20th overall back in the 2024 draft. Tyson rarely saw the court in his rookie season but has become a prominent fixture for Cleveland in year two.
"I'm guessing that [the Cleveland Cavaliers] try to find a home for Lonzo Ball before the deadline. And the only reason being that he makes $10 million, and he's not really helping all that much... With [Jaylon] Tyson being able to take on that role, being able to take on more physical defensive matchups, I think has been a big value add for them and changes what their wing rotation looks like. It allows them to move on from De'Andre Hunter's money now or in the offseason. I would imagine looking a new home for De'Andre Hunter would probably be something they look at at the deadline, too."Sam Vecenie
Simon follows Vecenie's commentary with more compliments for Tyson, notably his physicality and hustle. Tyson's unexpected development certainly removes much of the Cavaliers' need for Lonzo or Hunter if the right trade appears. Vecenie focused primarily on the financial end of a Hunter or Lonzo deal. Both players make significant money, and trading it away could alleviate the Cavs' second-apron burden or help them get closer to unloading it.
Currently, Hunter is owed just over $23 million. The Cavaliers are $22 million above the second apron threshold. Trading Hunter would not feasibly mean all $23 million disappears, but trading both Lonzo and Hunter in separate deals could delete the majority of that gap.
While Hunter has shown flashes of impact for the Cavs, his defensive liabilities and unpredictable offensive output have made him a trade candidate after joining the team less than one year ago at the last trade deadline. Lonzo joined Cleveland in the offseason in exchange for Isaac Okoro in a summertime trade. With Ball's continued struggles, he has lost the confidence of the coaching staff and fan base, becoming borderline unplayable.
Vecenie notes that trading Ball would probably cost the Cavs draft capital. Hunter, on the other hand, was a Sixth Man of the Year frontrunner last season before his trade to Cleveland. He still holds high value as a top role player.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are not openly seeking a trade at the deadline, but for the league's most expensive team to struggle holding onto a real playoff spot, shedding salary might be a necessary move before the February 5 buzzer.