Cavs: 3 other big names not named Ben Simmons the team should pursue

Ben Simmons or not here are three other big names the Cavs should look into.

The Cavs have been targetting Ben Simmons as a piece to trade for. The only problem is no one knows for sure if the Cavs are even likely to land him. Let alone the price he’ll cost. Simmons is a peculiar player in the fact that he’s the most dominant four-tool player you’ll ever see, but the lack of that crucial “fifth tool” (shooting) is such a dogged point of contention.

Not an unfair point, either. The Cavs don’t have many dynamic scorers and the only way a Simmons trade makes sense for the Cavs is if they keep their best pure scorers in Collin Sexton and Lauri Markkanen. Hence another issue, many think a trade would need to include both of them just to get things going. That’s a non-starter here.

So if the pundits are right about what it would take to get Simmons, then the team should pivot and look elsewhere for a big name.

PG Malcolm Brogdon

I like Malcolm Brogdon quite a bit. He reminds me of a better version of George Hill in Hill’s prime. A much, better version. He’s very good at everything but not great at any one thing, but how many people are that good at so many things? Borgond’s not near the elite-level defender that Simmons is, but he isn’t nearly as bad as the Cavs’ guards have been.

He’s also emerged as a good scorer, not putting up elite stats by any means but his consistency is respectable. He cracked the 20-point-per-game mark in 2020-2021 and has shown to be a good inside scorer. He’s only shot 38% from the three-point line last year, but that would’ve put him third on the Cavs last year in proper context, and on far more attempts than either of the Cavs’ starters at guard.

He’s a solid, if not uninspiring distributor with the ball, and would probably make more sense for him to be the two-guard next to Ricky Rubio in any lineup. You wouldn’t need to give up nearly as much for Brogdon as you would for Simmons, hypothetically, and the impact may be just as good long term.

The only problem is that the Pacers will likely only trade him if they decide to blow up their roster. If they did, there are a few assets to look forward to trying to acquire at that point, namely T.J. Warren. If you can’t get both, Brogdon would be the way to go. Of course, you’d have to send back one of the young guards to make the minutes’ situation work.