Losing the LeBron James sweepstakes has not halted the Cleveland Cavaliers' offseason. Despite staying silent thus far outside of retaining Thomas Bryant and drafting Meleek Thomas, the Cavs are notably involved in numerous headlining deals.
Cleveland spent last season embroiled with the restrictions of the newly-minted second apron of the luxury tax. It kept the Cavaliers from making any substantial growth, but Cleveland has dipped below both the second and first aprons and opened up more opportunity this summer. After failing to land James, the Cavaliers quickly pivoted to 23-year-old forward Jonathan Kuminga, eyeing his athleticism and defensive upside in a potential sign-and-trade.
Alongside Kuminga, Cleveland has been tied to DeMar DeRozan and, most recently, Denver Nuggets restricted free agent Peyton Watson. Both Watson and Kuminga are young, high-potential wings who slot into the Cavs' rotation seamlessly. Determining which one to target and the price worth paying to acquire either of them has been the greatest hurdle. The Atlanta Hawks, the team with Kuminga's Bird Rights, has shown interest in Jarrett Allen, but the Cavs have stayed hesitant to move on from the former All-Star big man.
James Harden is still a free agent, but the latest news from Ramona Shelburne reports that Harden is waiting to sign his next contract with the Cavs to give the franchise flexibility to "poke around" a Watson sign-and-trade. With Denver entering the second apron after retaining Spencer Jones, the Cavaliers could add Watson in a deal that alleviates the Nuggets' financial pain without too many hassle.
Completing a sign-and-trade would create a hard cap at the first apron for Cleveland, who currently sits with just over $21 million space below it. So, if the Cavs agree to a deal, it needs to be the perfect one.
If the Cavaliers want to turn their silent, stagnant offseason around, Allen will have to be on the market. Moving him, though, could open the doors to the most wild transaction of the offseason.
A five-team blockbuster trade to save the offseason
Cleveland's avaiable trade assets, especially draft capital, are slim; however, offering their most valuable contracts like Allen and Sam Merrill's team-friendly deal could be a pathway to maneuvering the trade market wonderfully. Dealing Allen to the Hawks for Kuminga could net the Cavs draft picks in return, given Allen's proven value, but re-routing those in a larger deal to acquire Watson alongside Kuminga could be the perfect recipe the Cavs were looking for.
Looping in the Charlotte Hornets and Chicago Bulls, this trade proposal gives the Cavaliers, Nuggets and Hawks their biggest wishes of the summer.
Trade Details:
Cavaliers receive: Jonathan Kuminga (S&T), Peyton Watson (S&T), Onyeka Okongwu, Royce O'Neale
Hawks receive: Jarrett Allen, Zeke Nnaji
Hornets receive: Dennis Schröder, Christian Bruan, 2032 & 2033 Second-Round Picks (via CLE), 2032 First-Round Swap (via CLE)
Bulls receive: Max Strus, 2 future Second-Round Picks
Nuggets receive: Sam Merrill, Jalen Smith, 2033 First-Round Pick (via ATL)
In all, 10 players change teams alongside a plethora of draft picks. The Cavaliers add both Kuminga and Watson, refilling their bench lineup with Okongwu and O'Neale along the way. The Hornets, receiving both players via Traded Player Exception, is compensated with the most draft assets. They also add Braun, a championship-winning wing who could slot well into their new young core or be used in a future trade.
The Hornets have shown interest in Schröder in recent weeks, giving a veteran point guard to fill the backcourt rotation after the recent LaMelo Ball deal. For the Chicago Bulls, a homecoming with Max Strus gives the franchise a veteran wing and leader for a young, upcoming franchise.
The Nuggets shed $21.5 million salary while adding two rotational players for the price of Watson and Nnaji. The Hawks send out Kuminga, Okongwu and picks for Allen and Nnaji. Okongwu's $16 million salary and Allen's standing as a high-value center leverages the Hawks to distribute some picks rather than the Cavaliers.
For Cleveland, this trade gives the team a deep, playoff-ready roster and addresses core needs. The Cavaliers part with Merrill, Strus, Schröder and Allen but add two young wings on long-term deals and two veteran players who fill needed roles. O'Neale is a proven 3-and-D wing, and Okongwu would play an ideal backup center behind Evan Mobley, who finally assumes the full-time starting center job after this trade.
Cleveland's potential depth chart
PG | SG | SF | PF | C |
|---|---|---|---|---|
James Harden | Donovan Mitchell | Peyton Watson | Jonathan Kuminga | Evan Mobley |
Meleek Thomas | Tyrese Proctor | Jaylon Tyson | Mario Hezonja | Onyeka Okongwu |
Craig Porter, Jr. | Royce O'Neale | Nae'Qwan Tomlin | Thomas Bryant |
If the Cavaliers can pull off the impossible and bring in both Watson and Kuminga in this sort of trade, they could enter the season with a loaded wing and frontcourt lineup after years of struggling to find stability in those areas. The backcourt becomes their most shallow area with two second-round picks and an undrafted guard as the backups, but all three show promise as reliable options.
This deal would open up just over $1.5 million extra cap space for the Cavs, assuming Watson and Kuminga sign for reasonable deals, to allow Harden a mid-20s contract in the first year of a multi-year deal.
The Cleveland Cavaliers lost on signing the biggest free agent of the summer. To save the offseason, they need a big splash. This trade provides that and accomplishes needs for every team involved, giving veteran talent and draft compensation to young teams, salary relief to the Nuggets, frontcourt talent to the Hawks, and most importantly, immediate and future help to the Cavaliers.
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