Grade the Trade: Proposed deal has Cavaliers landing much-wanted forward

The Cleveland Cavaliers are having an unthinkably amazing start to the season.

After months (years) of calls for them to break up their core four of players, the Cavaliers stayed the course and believed in new head coach Kenny Atkinson to unlock the upside of such a talented group of players. The role players around them have all stepped up and performed above expectations, and the result is a 16-1 start to the season that only a handful of teams have matched to start a season in NBA history.

In addition to a lot of joy for long-suffering fans and interest for fringe fans, the Cavaliers' success has brought something else: expectations. Center Jarrett Allen recently said in an interview that the "floor" for this team is the Eastern Conference Finals, somewhere no one in their core rotation has ever been before (when Max Strus returns he'll join Tristan Thompson as the only players on the roster to make it that far).

The Cavaliers are a bona fide title contender now, which means that win-now trades to further improve their rotation are on the table. If Cleveland were to make a trade to upgrade the roster, what kind of deal would they pursue?

Do the Cavaliers need a win-now trade?

There are no glaring needs for the Cleveland Cavaliers -- it would be extremely surprising if there were given this team's start. Yet that doesn't mean everything is perfect.

In writing a recent piece on the most "vital" players on the Cavaliers, Dean Wade found his way surprisingly high on the list. The reason? He is the only player on the roster who allows the Cavaliers to put a shooter at the 4 who doesn't compromise their defense; every other option either cannot shoot, cannot defend or is merely too small (thus routing back into the defensive problem). Wade can do both, so when healthy he is a vital part of the rotation.

Adding another combo forward who can play significant minutes at the three or the four and check both the "offense" and "defense" boxes could be in line for the Cavaliers. Such a player may or may not start, but merely shoring up that position would be valuable. There is redundancy built into nearly every role on the team, so if there is an injury the team can weather the storm; combo forward is one place where it's Wade and then no one (although rookie Jaylon Tyson may be growing into that role over the next year or two).

Who might have a combo forward for the Cavaliers to target? Enter the Portland Trail Blazers, a team who is trying to tank the season to add a franchise-changing forward like Cooper Flagg but keep winning because of the players currently on their roster. Trading away a veteran serves two purposes, gaining assets to further the rebuild while also making them a worse team in the present.

One such veteran on the roster is Jerami Grant, who is signed to a lucrative long-term contract but doesn't fit the timeline of the team. At 6'7" he has the size to play either forward position, and in just over three seasons in Portland has averaged 20.1 points per game and shot 39.5 percent from deep. Add in his solid defensive reputation and you get a player who could meet the needs in Cleveland.

Since putting pen to paper last summer on a five-year contract trade rumors have swirled around Grant, especially once Portland pulled the trigger on a Damian Lillard deal. Teams have been calling Portland asking about his availability, and the likes of the Los Angeles Lakers and the Oklahoma City Thunder have been linked to him, among others. He is one of the most sought-after players on the trade market due to his two-way ability, positional value and likely availability.

Building a Jerami Grant trade

Could the Cavaliers and Trail Blazers work out a Jerami Grant trade? Thanks to our colleagues at Bleacher Report, we have a potential trade construction to react to (although this is not the only way such a trade could be built). Here is what it looks like:

The Trail Blazers get back a valuable two-way wing in Caris LeVert, someone who can be a steady hand mentoring their young ball-handlers or be moved in a subsequent deal for value. Georges Niang is primarily in the deal to make the salaries work, but as a plus shooter he can be a positive offensive addition to many lineups. The Blazers aren't merely getting matching salary; they're getting rotation players.

A first-round pick has not yet materialized for Portland in a Grant trade, but this deal sends a trio of seconds to the Blazers. Would it be enough for them to part with Jerami Grant? It seems like too low, but the value of moving LeVert in another trade by the deadline could net them a first-round pick or more in overall value. This deal is at least in the realm of possibility.

What about for the Cavaliers? Would they make this trade?

Grade the Trade for the Cavaliers

The theory of Jerami Grant fits the Cavaliers like a glove. They have long sought a wo-way forward who can space the floor, score at multiple levels and defend multiple positions. If you look at the on-paper scouting report for Grant, that's what you would find.

The problem with such an evaluation, however, is that Grant no longer appears to be that player. His game has eroded defensively over the past half-decade, to the point that he is a consistent negative on that end. He hasn't had a positive Defensive Plus-Minus since he played in Oklahoma City seven seasons ago.

Add to that the reality that very few players with his size and athleticism rebound the ball as poorly as Grant; whether he truly doesn't know where the ball is going or lacks that extra gear of determination, he cannot get to rebounds and has averaged just 3.5 per game each of the last two seasons.

To throw more water on the fire, Grant's offensive game is showing signs of decline as well. He is shooting just 51 percent at the rim this season and 35 percent from 3-10 feet. Add in that his 3-point shooting is cold to start the year (a stat that could certainly progress to the mean over a larger sample) and you get a player who is not doing much on either end of the court to help his team win. A young Portland team is winning largely in spite of their $160 million player, not because of him.

The Cavaliers do not have a lot of assets, so they want to be judicious with the ones that they have. Add in that Caris LeVert is playing incredibly well to start the season, and Cleveland should only move on from him for a clear upgrade. Grant is not that, and he is no lock to improve their ceiling as a team at all. This deal isn't overly expensive, but paying Grant $36 million three seasons from now, when his game is likely to have eroded even further? That's not a deal the Cavs want to make.

Grade: D