Cavaliers Make Unlikely Reunion With Former Draft Pick in Projected Trade

The Cleveland Cavaliers enter the offseason in an interesting spot, as they reportedly have a new head coach (Kenny Atkinson), and don’t plan on breaking up the core four of Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen, and Evan Mobley.

If the Cavaliers are determined to keep their core group together, it will be hard for them to make many impact moves this offseason. Nonetheless, Cleveland could move their first-round pick (No. 20) in the 2024 NBA Draft or a couple of rotation players to net them a quality player in return.

Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes created several draft-day trades for all 30 teams across the league, including the Cavaliers. When it comes to the Cavaliers, Hughes went off the radar on who Cleveland should go after, and in theory, the move makes a lot of sense and could help the team jump to the next level.

Cavaliers Acquire Andrew Wiggins in Shocking Trade Proposal

In a blast from the past, Hughes has the Cavaliers acquiring veteran wing Andrew Wiggins from the Golden State Warriors, in exchange for Caris LeVert and the No. 20 overall pick.

Cavaliers fans remember Wiggins, who was selected with the No. 1 overall pick from the 2014 NBA Draft. However, Wiggins never played a single game for the Cavaliers as he was traded two months later to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the blockbuster four-team trade that saw Kevin Love end up in Cleveland.

Wiggins took a significant step back this season, which was a far cry from what we saw from him in the previous two seasons with the Warriors. 

The 29-year-old forward averaged 13.2 points and 4.5 rebounds in 27 minutes per game – a notable decrease from the 2022-23 season (17.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game). Wiggins also shot 45.3 percent from the field and 35.8 percent from beyond the arc.

The idea of the Cavs trading for Wiggins isn’t far-fetched, as he would be an upgrade over what they are getting from Isaac Okoro and Caris LeVert. 

However, Wiggins is scheduled to make $26.2 million next season, which is a hefty penny to pay for a player who saw his points per game decrease by 3.9. At the same time, LeVert is set to make $16.6 million next season and will be an unrestricted free agent in 2025.

LeVert played well in the regular season for the Cavs (14 points, 5.1 assists, and 4.1 rebounds per game), but that went by the wayside in the playoffs (10.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game).

The Cavaliers could keep LeVert for the year and then get his money off the books for the next offseason. However, if the opportunity to acquire Wiggins did come about for Cavs GM Koby Altman, he should explore it.

More Cavaliers news and analysis: