The Cleveland Cavaliers achieved their goal of improving depth this offseason, but they are barely holding onto a guaranteed playoff spot amidst injuries and a shallow frontcourt rotation.
Following the New York Knicks' acquisition of OG Anunoby, the NBA trade season is in full swing as teams in the middle of the pack try to differentiate themselves and gain momentum for the later stretch of the regular season. If the Cavaliers hope to stay atop the East as they did a season ago, making the right trade before the February 8 deadline will be crucial.
After their New Year's Day loss to the Toronto Raptors, Cleveland fell back into the Play-In Tournament with the eighth seed. Without Evan Mobley in the starting frontcourt, the Cavs' options behind Jarrett Allen and Dean Wade have been severely limited. Georges Niang's 3-point shots have not fallen at the rate the Cavaliers have needed, leading to a desperate need for another frontcourt player to round out the rotation.
Caris LeVert is the Cavaliers' best option in a trade
The Cavaliers have several talented wings and backcourt pieces on team-friendly contracts, leaving these players to be the best options in a trade for a big forward. With Isaac Okoro and Craig Porter, Jr. in the rotation, Cleveland's backcourt lineup is far better than it was expected to be at the start of the season. Neither of these players will return the player the Cavaliers need, though.
Sixth man Caris LeVert has been Cleveland's best bench player and is making only $15.3 million this season with another year on his deal at $16.6 million. While it may seem counter-productive to trade away their best second-unit contributor, LeVert's role with the Cavs has been in flux ever since he joined, and he is likely to garner more interest than any other bench player on the open market.
Losing LeVert would be a painful sight, given his heroic performances and steady contributions in his two-and-a-half seasons with Cleveland. The Columbus native has been incredibly loyal to the organization, willing to take on any assignment sent his way. To add a reliable frontcourt option, however, the Cavaliers will need to sacrifice in return, and LeVert's contract and skillset is the best path to the right deal.
With this in mind, the Cavaliers cannot give LeVert up for free. He is a starting-caliber swing man who impacts both sides of the court. These three forwards would be worth the price for a trade deadline move.
Trade No. 1 - Rui Hachimura, Los Angeles Lakers
After joining the Los Angeles Lakers at least year's trade deadline from the Washington Wizards, Rui Hachimura put on a newsworthy performance in the 2023 playoffs, helping the seventh-seeded Lakers battle through the Play-In Tournament and reach the Western Conference Finals.
This season, Hachimura is averaging 11.6 points and 3.6 rebounds on 49/37/76 shooting splits. The 6-foot 8-inches forward has played roughly two-thirds of his minutes this season at power forward, often alongside Anthony Davis at center. Hachimura's floor spacing and versatile defense has given Los Angeles a needed boost in plenty of games. He has proven himself as a playoff performer, even if last year's run was too good to be true every year.
With nearly identical salaries, a straightforward swap of LeVert for Hachimura would succeed after Hachimura is eligible for trade on January 15. The Lakers may be hesitant to surrender a key contributor from last year's WCF run, but their own struggles with bench scoring outside of Austin Reaves may sway Los Angeles to take a chance on another playmaking scorer in LeVert.
For the Cavaliers, Hachimura gives them a level of security whenever Allen or Mobley are resting, given his track record of solid two-way play. What may prevent this trade from Cleveland's side, though, is Hachimura's recent concerning calf strain. The timetable for Hachimura's return has not been released, and Lakers coach Darvin Ham has expressed a "high level" of concern for the ramifications of the injury.
Depending on the severity of the setback, this deal might fall flat, leaving the Cavs to look in another direction for a trade partner. In that case, Cleveland may find a deal with a team often linked to Cleveland in trade rumors.
Trade No. 2 - Cameron Johnson, Brooklyn Nets
Last trade deadline, the Cleveland Cavaliers had confirmed interest in Brooklyn Nets forward Royce O'Neale, but no deal ever got done. Since then, both teams have been linked together in numerous trade rumors, including Brooklyn's interest in a blockbuster Donovan Mitchell deal.
Historically, the Cavaliers acquired Jarrett Allen from the Nets in the 2021 James Harden headlining trade. Additionally, Caris LeVert also started his career in Brooklyn, being sent to the Indiana Pacers in the same deal that landed Allen in Cleveland. As the Nets look to define themselves as a playoff-caliber team behind Mikal Bridges and Cam Thomas, bringing LeVert back to lead the second unit could be an intriguing option for the Nets.
Cameron Johnson's $24.4 million salary this season is too high to match evenly with LeVert, leaving the Cavaliers to add in salary filler to match. Given Cleveland's long-time interest in Royce O'Neale, the Cavs would likely want to see him included in the deal, giving both Niang and Rubio alongside a second-round pick in return.
Although Johnson has dealt with his fair share of sidelining injuries over his career, the 27-year-old forward has a career 39.5 percent 3-point shot with 5.6 attempts per game. Paired with his 4.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game, Johnson would make an instant impact for the Cavs as a floor spacer in the frontcourt.
Defensively, Johnson is not a stalwart anchor like Mobley or Allen, but he is less foul-prone than Niang and can hold his own at 6-foot 8-inches against most other power forwards in the NBA. Keeping Okoro in this deal also allows the Cavs to retain their best defender off the bench, alleviating some of Johnson's defensive flaws.
Additionally, O'Neale's 3-point prowess and reputation as a 3-and-D forward gives the Cavs another option to diversify their lineups, especially in response to any other future injuries to Cleveland's forward rotation.
Finally, the Cavaliers could look back to the west coast for a LeVert suitor ready to compete for the title.
Trade No. 3 - Trey Lyles, Sacramento Kings
The Sacramento Kings are in a similar position to the Cavaliers this season after being booted in the first round of the playoffs with home-court advantage last spring.
After the Kings ended last season as the second seed in the West, they currently sit fifth in the West behind the four-seeded Los Angeles Clippers. With a star duo of De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis at the helm, Sacramento appears primed to make a major leap toward contention with a good trade this season.
For the Cavaliers, they should eye veteran forward Trey Lyles from the Kings as the centerpiece of a larger trade, rounding out this list with another proven 3-and-D power forward. Lyles is only under contract for $8.8 million this season, making a straightforward swap improbable. Instead, the Cavaliers could orchestrate a larger deal to send LeVert to the Western powerhouse.
In this deal, the Cavaliers and Kings swap LeVert for Lyles and include under-used point guards to make the money line up. The Cavs also include Milwaukee's 2025 second-round pick as sweetener, considering Ty Jerome's lack of availability.
The Kings open up the forward rotation to provide both Harrison Barnes and rising star Keegan Murray with more minutes and add a solid backcourt player in LeVert to add scoring and playmaking in the second unit.
As for the Cavaliers, both Trey Lyles and Davion Mitchell would fill a meaningful role in the rotation, especially with Garland and Ricky Rubio out of the lineup. Similar to both Hachimura and Johnson, Lyles is not eligible for trade until January 15, meaning Garland may be close to return by the time this deal goes through. Mitchell could still be a steady backcourt presence alongside Okoro and Porter, though.
On the Cavaliers, Lyles is another 3-and-D option, shooting 35.7 percent from deep this season and grabbing 5.2 rebounds per game. Any new addition to Cleveland's frontcourt needs to provide in these two areas, given the team's lackluster presence on the perimeter and on the boards last postseason.
Considering LeVert's importance to Cleveland's bench rotation, the Cavaliers may not have any expectations to trade their sixth man this year. Still, his team-friendly contract and confusing fit on the roster could make him the odd man out if the Cavs recognize a need for a trade by the February buzzer.