The Cleveland Cavaliers need to find a backup center, as Tristan Thompson has been proven not to be the answer. After the 2025 NBA Draft, one of the top trade targets on their list, Duop Reath, is now more available than he has ever been.
The Cavaliers did not have a first-round pick in this year's NBA Draft. They did have a pair of seconds, one of which they used on Duke guard Tyrese Proctor and the other on international project wing Saliou Niang. That leaves them still in need of a backup center.
Enter the Portland Trail Blazers. They were always a team the Cavaliers should be watching for a center option, as they have a quartet of rotation-worthy centers between veterans Deandre Ayton and Robert Williams III alongside lottery pick Donovan Clingan and stretch-5 Duop Reath. We wrote ahead of the Trade Deadline how the Cavs should call about prying free Reath as he was fourth on their depth chart and on a bargain contract.
After the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft, Reath is now fifth on their depth chart. Portland went into the draft with the No. 11 pick and traded down with the Memphis Grizzlies to No. 16, picking up three extra picks for their troubles. With the 16th pick, they proceeded to draft Chinese center Yang Hansen.
It was one of the more shocking picks in the draft, as Yang was ranked in the 30s and 40s on most draft boards and genuinely not expected to go in the first round at all. Things only get more bizarre when you factor in just how many centers the Trail Blazers already have.
The Cavaliers should trade for Duop Reath
The Cavaliers need a backup center, but more than they should look to add a stretch-5 who can space the court and give the team a different look. Jarrett Allen is a borderline All-Star level center but doesn't shoot the ball from distance; having his backup be a stretch big would give Cleveland lineup versatility and unlock a new fastball for head coach Kenny Atkinson.
Reath was a late-career rookie when he joined the NBA, and is 29 years old despite entering his third season in the league. Hardened by years of playing professionally outside of the NBA, Reath stepped into the league prepared to battle inside as a post defender and proved himself a solid rim protector. He's not a game-changer on that end, but he holds his own.
On offense, Reath is a confident shooter, getting up 7.5 3-point attempts per 36 minutes across two seasons. He hit just 34.8 percent of them, so he has room to grow with his accuracy, but on a team like Cleveland where defenses will be selling out to stop the team's offensive stars he should expect more open looks.
Reath makes the minimum next season, so Cleveland could manufacture a swap without much financial outlay -- Chuma Okeke, perhaps -- and attach a second-round pick or two to get the deal done. Portland may be tempted to waive Reath outright given their glut of centers, so his value should be as low as it can get in a trade.
Their problem is the Cavaliers' solution, and Reath would be an ideal player to target on the trade market this summer.