4 realistic trade proposals to add size and depth to Cleveland Cavaliers

The 2023 NBA free agency period gave the Cleveland Cavaliers plenty of new, useful talent. But, with a 11-9 season start, the work is far from over.

Currently, the Cavaliers sit eighth in a top heavy Eastern Conference, a conference in which they were projected to place within the top three. While the Cavs are in the playoff mix, their sporadic lapses in judgement and execution have led to a disappointing start to the 2023-24 campaign.

As it is with every problem for any NBA franchise, the answer is never as simple as one quick fix. Cleveland has yet to play with every player available, and head coach J.B. Bickerstaff has had to implement seven separate starting lineups. Evan Mobley and Max Strus have been the only Cavaliers starters to stay healthy all season.

Solving the Cavaliers' problems

With the majority of the roster available against the Portland Trailblazers, Bickerstaff still opted to play only eight guys in the embarrassing late game collapse that led to a 103-95 loss at home. With these kinds of head scratching moves, the five-year head coach seems to be on the hot seat. Plenty in the fan base see Bickerstaff's continued presence a waste of the Cavs' potential, while others see potential to rework the roster and push forward.

Following the loss, Sports Illustrated reporter Spencer Davies asked Bickerstaff about his perplexing lineup choices.

Bickerstaff's main focus was on the size and skillsets of his healthy players. Off the bench, the Cavaliers employee a 6-foot 4-inches Isaac Okoro, 6-foot 6-inches Caris LeVert, 6-foot Craig Porter, Jr. and 6-foot 8-inches Georges Niang on most nights. With a starting lineup anchored through two big men in Mobley and Jarrett Allen, the drastic drop in size could be concerning at times.

Bickerstaff's odd comments blame the roster composition after the entire offseason was centered around adding shooting and bench depth, but his views may be that adding Strus, Niang, Tristan Thompson and more while only losing Cedi Osman and Lamar Stevens from the rotation is not enough.

While many teams in the NBA have moved to small ball lineups, Bickerstaff repeatedly looks to bigger players to help cover for the undersized backcourt of Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell.

Bickerstaff also mentions the similar roles many of the reserve Cavaliers fill. This comment is a bit more difficult to dissect, as players such as Tristan Thompson and Craig Porter, Jr. fill different roles than the three bench players who made an appearance against Portland. Extending the benefit of doubt for Bickerstaff, though, the best path to improving the team's size and depth is exploring the trade market.

The Cavaliers could look to the trade market

His comments suggest that trades could be in the near future if he does believe that size is the cause of his poor rotations. The rotations might be weakest in the frontcourt, as Niang is the only consistent presence off the bench in that department. Most trades will not take place until after Jan. 15, 2024 or Dec. 15 at the earliest due to restrictions for recently signed players, but once these dates pass, the Cavaliers could be busy by the time the Feburary trade deadline arrives.

The aforementioned divide in the Cavaliers fandom regarding Bickerstaff's job leads this discussion down two different roads. One is looking at alternative coaches who could utilize these existing players better. For that analysis, there are plenty of worthy candidates the Cavaliers could target if Bickerstaff is let go.

For this article, the trade market will be the road the Cavaliers travel. First thing is first, though, who would they trade?

Who the Cleveland Cavaliers would give up in a trade

Plenty of speculation has surfaced regarding a blockbuster deal to amp up Cleveland's starting five. The primary player mentioned is Jarrett Allen, as the Cavaliers may look to shift Evan Mobley to the starting center and add an athletic forward who can space the floor alongside him. Bickerstaff's comments narrow into bench size, though, rather than any debates on the starting lineup.

Looking at the Cavs' reserves, they have a multitude of midsize, easily stacked contracts. The first player with the most value and best contract is Isaac Okoro. He will enter restricted free agency this summer, but his expiring $8.9 million salary is a perfect starting point for any team interested in the young defensive powerhouse.

Additionally, Ricky Rubio's $6.1 million contract only increases to $6.4 million next season before it expires. Since he has stepped away from basketball, the Cavaliers have not had any way to reinsert the veteran point guard into the team culture or rotation at all. With the emergence of Porter, Jr. as a hidden gem for a backup guard, Rubio's position on the team may be gone. Instead, the Cavs could add him to a trade for salary matching.

Finally, one of (or a combination of) Damian Jones, Ty Jerome and Sam Merrill (non-guaranteed) could be a sweetener for the right deal.

Who could the Cavaliers get for this price in the middle of the NBA season? The Cavs have 14 roster spots filled, leaving one open for another player. Instead, if the Cavaliers take back an extra player, this would open up another roster spot to convert Porter to a full deal (and possibly Emoni Bates).

The Cavaliers could get in on the Chicago Bulls' upcoming fire sale

Since the middle of November, the Chicago Bulls have begun exploring the trade market for All-Star guard Zach Lavine. While no trade has materialized, this shift in perspective suggests the Bulls will be sellers by the trade deadline. For the Cavaliers, the Bulls present a terrific partner to trade low or expiring salaries for win-now players.

The immediate role player in mind is Alex Caruso, a 6-foot 5-inch point guard with elite perimeter defensive skills. His contract is nearly identical to Isaac Okoro, meaning the deal could theoretically be perfect. The Bulls receive a young player with potential, and the Cavs get a perfect backcourt second-unit captain.

Unfortunately for the Cavs, every other NBA team will chase Caruso to the ends of the earth. He is a perfect fit on any good or contending team, and many of them have more draft assets to sweeten a deal than Cleveland's stockpile of second-rounders. Instead, the Cavaliers could target two players that would add size.

Andre Drummond's first stint in Cleveland was not picture perfect. That is unavoidable; however, he would be another backup center that offers more than Damian Jones. Tristan Thompson would likely receive more minutes most nights, but Drummond would be the right choice for certain matchups. In a smaller role off the bench, Drummond is perfect for a second chance.

The real nucleus of the deal on the Cavs side is Torrey Craig, a veteran 6-foot 7-inches forward known for his valuable play on both ends of the court. In 21.4 minutes per game with the Bulls this year, Craig is averaging 5.4 points and 4.9 rebounds with a 32.7 percent 3-point shot. Last season, Craig shot 39.5 percent from deep and has been a consistent threat from that range throughout his career.

Adding these two veterans to the locker room gives the Cavaliers a number of new, dynamic lineups at their disposal. Drummond helps with the Cavs' rebounding woes and gives their big men time to rest, and Craig is a prototypical 3-and-D forward.

Headed out west, the Cavaliers could find a perfect trade with another fringe contender.

The Cavaliers and Kings are a match made in Fanspo Heaven

Since adding Jarrett Allen to the team, the Cavs have been a defense-first squad. Conversely, the Sacramento Kings are a heavily offensively driven team while their defense lags behind. Seemingly, a trade between these two franchises could be perfect this season.

For this trade, the Cavaliers' best trade piece is Isaac Okoro. He fits the Kings' timeline, and his playstyle as a point-of-attack defender and improved offensive presence is an ideal fit for Sacramento.

Keeping it simple, Trey Lyles' $8 million salary is a nearly identical match to Okoro's contract. Where Okoro improves the Kings' lackluster defense and adds more youth to the team, Trey Lyles gives the Cavaliers a two-way forward with size and shooting prowess.

Over his career, the 28-year-old veteran has connected on 34.1 percent of his 3-point attempts. He is off to a slower start this year, only shooting 26.9 percent from that range, but the Cavs could convince themselves that his 36.3 percent from last year is more indicative of the value he could bring to Cleveland over time.

Additionally, Lyles has collected 5.2 rebounds per night so far and can function as either a power forward or small ball center at 6-foot 9-inches. He is the same height as Thompson, though both players use their size in different ways. For the Kings, Lyles is splitting his time between the two positions 74 percent at the four versus 26 percent at the five. His versatility and proven talent would be quickly appreciated on the Cavs bench.

Following Lyles, the Cavs should shift their focus to a franchise finally entering a long-awaited rebuild.

The Cleveland Cavaliers add a dominant big man off the bench from the Washington Wizards

Until the Washington Wizards finally traded Bradley Beal to a new environment, making a deal with the nation's capital's representative team was a confusing feat. It was never certain if they would make a deal to build toward the future or partially buy in for an instant-win type of player.

Now, though, the Wizards are undeniably looking to build from the ground up, leaving their entire roster potentially up for grabs. Former second-round pick Daniel Gafford is the ideal backup center on this Cavs roster.

Once again banking on Okoro's potential and youth, the Cavaliers deal him with Rubio's expiring contract and two second-rounders to acquire the proven big. For the Wizards, they have a chance to develop Okoro's offensive game, something he has not had the opportunity to do properly in Cleveland.

As for the Cavaliers, they find an instant impactful player in Gafford, who has averaged 9.8 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game as the starting center for Washington. Although he is in the starting five for the Wizards, he only plays 25.1 minutes per game. If the Cavaliers give him a similar time on the court off the bench, Gafford's stats would not be severely limited.

Gafford undeniably answers Bickerstaff's questions for more size, standing at 6-foot 10-inches and weighing 234 pounds. Gafford is about as good of an interior defender as any team could hope to have in a second unit. On a team with a track record of amplifying tall centers, Gafford would thrive after this trade.

Finally, the Cavaliers look to another Eastern rival for the one that got away this summer.

How the Cavaliers can make it work with the Charlotte Hornets

Toward the end of the offseason, the Cavaliers tried to form a relationship with the Charlotte Hornets, but both teams mutually ended discussions before ever reaching advanced negotiations.

In this proposal, the Cavs revisit the talks and land a young forward who could grow into Mobley's frontcourt partner over time.

The Cavs have a reported interest in P.J. Washington, but it never went far. To acquire Washington this summer, Cleveland would have to pull off a second sign-and-trade after already doing so for Max Strus. Additionally, Washington was hoping to secure upwards of $20 million per year on a new deal, a number the Cavaliers could not match at the time.

Once Washington is available for trade, though, these discussions could be brought back to life. Washington's role with Charlotte is in flux, as he is a winning player on a losing team. Last season, Washington's overall game jumped in the wake of LaMelo Ball's unfortunate injury that sidelined him all year. In that season, Washington averaged a career-high 15.7 points and 1.1 blocks per game on 44/35/73 shooting splits.

The growing forward would be a massive upgrade as a backup frontcourt player, and he could potentially earn his way into the starting lineup if the Cavaliers move Jarrett Allen. Washington can consistently space the floor, a skill that Mobley has shown himself to be more than capable of valuing as the sole big man on the court.

The Hornets may hope for a first-rounder in return, but this summer's underwhelming interest in Washington could leave him to be a cheaper trade prospect than many would assume. His fit in Cleveland is clear, and his athletic build and two-way abilities could make the Cavaliers' bench skyrocket in productivity.

Frank Ntilikina would probably never play any meaningful minutes and may eventually be waived, but he is included in order to keep the Hornets under the 15-player limit.

As it sits, the Cleveland Cavaliers will not make a trade tomorrow or the day after. Nearly every player named is not eligible for trade until later this month or even next. For now, the Cavs are going to look to rise up the rankings with the composition available.