The Cleveland Cavaliers enter another offseason surrounded by a whirlwind of trade rumors. Like last season, these rumors elude Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley and involve primarily Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen.
If the Cavaliers do decide they want to make a trade, there are a number of different directions they could go in. Here’s a look at five former All-Stars the Cavaliers could target to make their team better, and how each could happen.
If the Cavaliers make a move for a higher-caliber player, it would likely be someone like Brandon Ingram. Good enough to move the needle, but not a big enough name to have to sell the farm.
Ingram is exactly what this team needs: a top-tier scoring wing who, while not the best defender, has the length and athleticism that prevents him from being a defensive liability. It’s exactly the skillset they were seeking with the acquisition of De’Andre Hunter, except Ingram is a better player in almost every aspect.
This season, Ingram averaged 22.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game with a 46.5 field goal percentage and a 37.4 three-point percentage. He’s averaging 19.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game over his career, with a 46.8 field goal percentage.
Ingram, aside from being the ideal player to match with this particular Cavaliers’ roster, would be able to (theoretically) be acquired without giving up any of the core four. They would probably have to part ways with Hunter, but it could be avoided on paper.
A viable trade would be Ingram to Cleveland in exchange for Isaac Okoro, Dean Wade, Jaylon Tyson, and either Hunter or Max Strus. This would give Cleveland the starting small forward they’ve been looking for, while giving Toronto a bevy of younger quality players to surround their franchise cornerstone, Scotty Barnes.
Or, if the Cavaliers wanted to shake things up even more, they could send Garland, Okoro, and either Hunter or Strus in exchange for Ingram and Immanuel Quickley. This would give Cleveland a physically bigger backcourt while not entirely sacrificing the offense that Garland brings to the table. There’s no doubt Garland is better, but Quickley is an underrated scorer.
Either way, the trades benefit both teams, and both packages fit along each respective team’s timeline more than what they’re giving up does. Of all the trades on this list, this is the most likely to happen.
Another scoring wing the Cavaliers could target is DeMar DeRozan with the Sacramento Kings, but they would have to give up either Garland or Allen to acquire him. DeRozan isn’t as skilled a deep shooter as Ingram or even Hunter, but is not a liability, and has possibly the best midrange game in the entire NBA.
Last season, DeRozan averaged 22.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game with a 47.7 field goal percentage and a 32.8 three-point percentage. He’s averaging 21.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game for his career.
As mentioned, DeRozan (a six-time all-star and three-time all-NBA) is the kind of player who would require either Garland or Allen as part of the asking price. Examples of viable trades would be DeRozan and Malik Monk in exchange for Garland, or DeRozan and Jonas Valanciunas in exchange for Allen and Okoro.
DeRozan is older and would both accelerate and shorten Cleveland’s contention window. If they get an opportunity to add a player of that caliber to a roster with Mitchell and Mobley, though, it’d be awfully difficult to pass up.
The biggest name on this list, and the player who would require both a large asking price and just the right set of circumstances to be moved, is Devin Booker. The notion of him being traded is predicated on both Kevin Durant being traded first and the Phoenix Suns deciding to do a hard reset and rebuild their franchise.
An example of a viable trade would be Booker in exchange for Garland, Okoro, and Tyson. The Cavaliers could also throw in their two-way players (Luke Travers, Emoji Bates, Nae’Qwan Tomlin), at no expense to the cap, to sweeten the deal.
Booker is one of the premier players at his position, has Finals experience, and his age lines up exactly with this team’s window for contention. Cleveland would have to give up a lot, but pairing Booker with Mitchell is the kind of no-brainer move that only comes once or twice in a generation.
Although both teams would be more inclined to make a move involving Booker, this trade package would also work for Durant. Not going to happen, but a fun thought experiment nonetheless.
The Miami Heat, having just lost Jimmy Butler, are in a precarious position. Despite having a few extremely talented young players and a couple of legitimate stars, they are far from the contention conversation.
There is a chance that they move either Tyler Herro or Bam Adebayo to bring in younger players to fill out their roster and build around one or the other. If this is the case, Cleveland would be remiss not to go after Adebayo.
A three-time all-star at the age of 27, Adebayo is one of the best centers in the league. He also, like Booker, has Finals experience and is on a team whose championship aspirations have now taken a major hit.
It would have to be a hefty package, but Cleveland seems to have assets that would be of particular interest to Miami. An example of a viable trade is Adebayo for Allen, Okoro, and Tyson, with the ability to include Sam Merrill, Craig Porter Jr, and all of the two-way players.
While adding Allen mitigates losing Adebayo, Miami also receives a bevy of young players while dispersing the cap hit of Adebayo, granting them more maneuverability in the offseason.
Pairing Adebayo with Mobley is another move (similar to pairing Mitchell and Booker) that would be incomprehensible to pass up. If it’s on the table, adding Adebayo could elevate all areas of the Cavaliers’ game.
The Cavaliers could also, rather than going out and trading up for another star, opt for the opposite. If this is the case, Allen would be the most likely to be moved.
The team that makes the most sense, with what they need, what they can offer, and their relationship to the Cavaliers, is the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors are going to consider themselves contenders as long as Stephen Curry is playing, and they’ve never been able to pair a top-tier big man with him.
That’s where Allen comes in, giving Curry the biggest threat in the paint he’s had since Andrew Bogut. Last season, Allen averaged 13.5 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 1.9 assists while shooting 70.6 percent from the field.
An example of a viable package Cleveland could get back for Allen would be Bradin Podziemski, Buddy Hield, and either Moses Moody, Trayce Jackson-Davis, or Gui Santos. It would be painful to see Allen in blue and gold, but it’s impossible to ignore the benefits, as it would give Cleveland more scoring and size in the backcourt.
While it’s likely that the Cavaliers will enter next season with primarily the same roster as they exited this postseason with, there is a possibility that they shake things up. If this is the case, Ingram, DeRozan, Booker, and Adebayo would all be excellent additions that would almost certainly instantly make them a better team (even with what they’d lose).
There is also a chance that the Cavaliers decide to move Allen to bolster an already talent-riddled roster, and should be able to do so with relative ease. Either way, if Cleveland wants to make a splash in the trade market, the conditions to acquire big names are there, are they have the assets to make it happen.
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