2 Cavaliers who are expendable, 3 they can't afford to trade

No. 2: Dean Wade can't be traded

Perhaps no player on the Cleveland Cavaliers has been more maligned by fans than Dean Wade. An undrafted player himself, Wade developed into a two-way forward who not only secured a guaranteed three-year contract extension but also a place in the Cavs' rotation heading into last season. A lingering shoulder injury knocked him out of that rotation, but his play this season should have him securely planted back in.

Wade has been available for 13 games this season, and in those games he has been the Cavaliers' best perimeter defender, taking on everyone from Mikal Bridges to Klay Thompson. Wade is at least 6'9" tall but with good mobility, allowing him to take on both quicker and stronger players, using his length to ensure they don't get a clean look. When Wade has been on the court the Cavaliers have been 12.4 points per 100 possessions better than when he sits (per Cleaning the Glass).

On offense, the Cavaliers' offense has benefited from his floor-spacing when he has been on the court. He isn't a high-usage player but he moves the ball or takes the open shot, allowing him to stay on the court and utilize his defense to help the team on the other end.

If the Cavaliers trade Dean Wade they won't have a replacement for that role. Isaac Okoro is both injured and too small to battle with forwards; Evan Mobley is best deployed as a weakside rim protector than a perimeter stopper. Wade can guard an opponents' best perimeter player at three positions (2-4), and that ability and versatility makes him too valuable to trade.