Here are five players the Cleveland Cavaliers should trade for.
Despite weeks of suggesting otherwise, I now agree that it’s time to make a trade. I thought the team could be fine with just a few minor moves, as Rajon Rondo could help carry the load for a lot of the play-making and the team has the rest of the pieces they need. To be clear, Rondo isn’t a game-breaker but he’s doing exactly what I thought he would; a solid passer and good defender. That’s what he was needed to be.
Yet, with the injuries to Darius Garland and Lauri Markkanen, it’s become obvious the Cavaliers are ill-prepared for what could happen to the team if they suffer any more injuries, or if they lose Garland or Markkanen again later in the year. Kevin Love is the team’s defacto second-scorer and would be first if he played more minutes. His PER 36 minutes have him averaging 23.7 points per game. Yet, he’s not a play-maker, and because of that, he’s dependent on his guards getting him the ball.
So the Cavs need another guard who can get the ball up the court and score.
They also need some more three-point shooting, as Cedi Osman has completely regressed as a three-point shooter; he shot just 28% from three over the last two months. While Osman is a fan favorite and has a unique skill set, the Cavaliers need three-point shooting as well. That doesn’t necessarily mean trade Osman, it just means getting some more three-point shooting for the bench.
Don’t expect a lot of heavy asset swaps here either. The Clippers trade of Norman Powell and Robert Convington for just Eric Bledsoe and Justice Winslow all bit set the trade market. Neither Bledsoe nor Winslow is all that good offensively and neither man provide any long-term impact on the Trail Blazers or their hopes to compete next season.
So the market won’t be very robust in returning assets.
Honorable Mention – Danilo Gallinari
Now I love Danilo Gallinari, but I don’t love his fit with the Cavs or his salary. This is an “if all else fails” type of scenario. Gallinari has played the three and four spot on the court before and he’s tailor-made to fill in for Lauri Markkanen as an offensive scorer in the starting lineup should Markkanen not be back anytime soon or get hurt again. Again, this isn’t a preferred option but if you have to make a move, Gallinari can provide some relief on the offensive side of things and you can get the deal done with just Ricky Rubio and the JaVale McGee trade exceptions.
5. Donte DiVincenzo
The Cavaliers would be wise to try and get Donte DiVincenzo. He was hurt to start the season, and since his return, he’s yet to show any type of cohesiveness in the Milwaukee offense. The Bucks are trying to win now, as are the Cavs, but Milwaukee is getting older and needs some more reliable young players.
DiVincenzo is not a bad player but he’s a very big unproven commodity. The Cavs could get him and turn him into the next Steve Nash, only stronger and with potentially better shooting. Yet, will he ever reach that potential? That’s hard to say, as he’s been all over the place as a player since entering the league.
Cleveland has room and time to see if he can develop, however, which isn’t a luxury the Bucks have.
This may seem like a weak haul for DiVincenzo but keep in mind that he’s not getting a lot of shots in Milwaukee and he’s not starting either. He also declined an offer before the team acquired Grayson Allen, so it seems like the Bucks are ready to move on from DiVincenzo
DiVincenzo has a great combo skillset, can score from all over the court, and could potentially develop into a play-making guard; serving as a legitimate backup point guard. With the Bucks pushing up against the luxury tax threshold, the team will have to make a decision about his future sooner, rather than later, or risk losing him for nothing.
4. Caris LeVert
The Pacers fell apart hard this year, and despite having a few good pieces to build upon, the team seems committed to trading away their best young players to start a full-on rebuild. Now, Caris LeVert isn’t the prize of the Pacers fire sale, that would be Domantas Sabonis but the Cavs don’t have the room for him or a need for him. Instead, the Cleveland Cavaliers may be well off getting the youngish LeVert.
He’s an exceptional scorer, except when it comes to the three-point line. His shooting splits for the 2021-2022 season are good, but not great, .447/.323/.760. Though what he lacks in three-point shooting, he makes up for it with his passing. He can average over four assists a game and that has helped him develop a nice offensive RAPTOR score of +2.2.
The issue with LeVert is his defense. He’s got a bad defensive RAPTOR of just -2.6 for the year, though that hasn’t always been the case. While he’s rarely been a great defender, he’s been passable. That inconsistency on that side of the court however is what knocks him down so low.
Now the Cleveland Cavaliers have options to get LeVert. Collin Sexton is an obvious one, so is Cedi Osman, Dylan Windler, and the trade exception for JaVale McGee. If Norman Powell and Robert Convington didn’t get the Trailblazers a first-round pick, the Pacers shouldn’t expect one for LeVert, who is a walking case of what could’ve been. He’s played in just 60% of possible games since entering the league and there’s no reason to expect him to play more than that each year with the Cavs.
The Pacers are getting back a young player that they can re-sign and build around potentially and another young player with untapped potential. That’s pretty fair for a fairly one-dimensional player with injury concerns.
In fact, I may have talked myself out of LeVert.
3. Doug McDermott
The Spurs are going nowhere, and at 29-years-old, Doug McDermott is not looking to be part of a rebuild. At least, one would assume so. He’s become a bit of a trade asset that the team could use to get younger and some draft picks, but probably not both. McDermott is a great scorer, and his recent splits .472/.435/.704 are good. You’d like to see a higher free-throw stat but you’re not looking for an All-NBA/franchise guy right now, so you take what you can get.
The three-point shooting is key, the Cavs need better three-point shooting, McDermott is known for his three-point shooting. He’s not Kyle Korver but he’s probably the closest thing to Korver who’s not Steph Curry.
The big hangup on McDermott, and it’s the same hangup for LeVert, is that he’s not good on defense. With the Cavs being a defensive first team, that creates their offense a lot of times through defensive stops, McDermott may cause liability. Now, Kevin Love was considered a bad defensive player but this year he’s become a very good one, with a RAPTOR score of +1.7 on defense through the year, so maybe McDermott just needs a better situation.
The Cavs can get this done with Cedi Osman as the center-piece. He’s not overly young but his point-foward potential could pair well with the established core the team already has, and considering they won’t be getting too much more than this for a guy who’s about to turn 30 and isn’t known for anything other than his three-point shooting, this seems fair.
You could attach a second-round pick or two to get the deal done.
2. Luke Kennard
These next two selections are what I consider to be the best-case scenarios. Luke Kennard has been undervalued since he entered the league. He’s an extremely well-rounded guard who can offer up not just play-making as a backup option to Darius Garland but also as a scorer alongside him or as the second option on the second-unit behind Kevin Love. Kennard is a great passer for a non-point guard and is quick enough to make his own shot in a bind.
He’s not very tall for a shooting guard but his ability to hit from all over the court is exceptional. He’s making a few million more than Cedi Osman currently but he’s an infinitely better scorer than Osman, as he doesn’t go into two-month-long shooting slumps. Ideally, you’d like to keep Osman, but if you can’t, Kennard is an absolute upgrade.
His loan con is his contract, but it’s not that much more than Doug McDermotts, and if he’s utilized as he should be, he’s absolutely worth it.
So why would the Clippers agree to this deal? It’s pretty bare-bones all things considered, and that’s easy. Norman Powell and Robert Covington. Those two men have pushed the Clippers into serious salary issues, and the team will need to cut bait on someone soon, or risk owning a lot of money to the league.
That’s where Osman comes in, he’s no bum and can contribute to the Clippers as a point-forward and three-point shooter. He’s cheaper than Kennard and that will help alleviate any issues the team has going forward in regards to financial issues.
Dylan Windler is also a piece that could turn into something if you put the time in, but if not, he’s a free agent after next year, which also helps with financials.
It’s very likely that Kennard loses out on minutes now that the Clippers made some big moves, so it’ll be interesting to see if the Clippers are as motivated to move him as many in the blogosphere seem to suggest they are.
1. C.J. McCollum
This is the unicorn. This is the play the Cavs can make to not only guarantee title possibilities in 2022 but beyond. CJ McCollum is among the league’s best scorers and it seems like the ride is over in Portland. We already know that guys like Norman Powell and Robert Covington really didn’t get much back, so the Blazers shouldn’t be expecting massive picks back for McCollum. So the trade is a bit light in that regard, but I’d be open to throwing in a first and a few seconds to get this done.
After all, McCollum fits well with the Cavs in all but one way. He can score inside and out, his three-point game is exceptional and he’s a hustle guy on defense so while he’s not Isaac Okoro, he can at least get in someone’s face.
Yet, the one way he doesn’t fit in is a biggie and that’s down to his age. Adding him and his contract would accelerate the Cavaliers’ need to win, much sooner than they should be expected to. McCollum and Kevin Love have a few years in them to be primary contributors and they need to be utilized to their fullest going forward. Does adding McCollum cause the Cavs to speed up the process, thereby getting overcooked and underdeveloped? Or does he give the team exactly what they need in order to get to the NBA finals this year?
As mentioned before, the Cavs should not offer up any draft picks at first glance. A first-round pick and some seconds should be used if only the team doesn’t take the offer at first glance. Let’s be real, they got nothing in return for Norman Powell, this trade at least gives the Blazers Collin Sexton (hopefully on a sign-and-trade) and Dylan Windler to develop if they’re going full rebuild and if not, then they can also add Ricky Rubio to the proceedings.
A three-point shooter, a small-ball mid-ranger scorer, and a potential three-point marksmen aren’t a bad get considering what they settled for in the Powell deal. This is a good get for the Cavs, so if a first-round pick (or heck, two), needs to be added; then do it. McCollum is worth it.