Plenty of NBA teams are expected to remain idle through the Feb. 8 trade deadline. The Cleveland Cavaliers are not one of them.
From The New York Times‘ Marc Stein:
One trusted source pulled me aside at the NBA G League Showcase last week in suburban Toronto and insisted that the Cavs will “definitely” swing at least one deal before the Feb. 8 trade deadline.
With the Cavaliers sitting at 29th in defensive efficiency and ceding postseason status to both the Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics right now, they absolutely do need to figure out something, anything, by the trade deadline. But what?
They have some trade assets, mainly their own first-round pick, the Brooklyn Nets selection, Cedi Osman, Ante Zizic and Channing Frye’s expiring deal. Iman Shumpert’s contract, which includes a player option for next season, could even be construed as an asset if their taking back longer-term money.
But who are the Cavaliers trading for? People are quick to talk about DeAndre Jordan or Marc Gasol, yet neither of them bridges the gap with the Golden State Warriors. And that’s who the Cavaliers are still chasing. They can make it out of the East with this exact roster. They cannot, however, get past the Warriors.
Such an undertaking demands a better collection of like-sized players who effectively switch on the defensive end. And those skills don’t grow on trees. Teams aren’t looking to trade these guys once they have him. The ones who are available—say, Kent Bazemore, Wesley Matthews, perhaps Nicolas Batum—don’t provide enough of a punch. The stars who would—a la Paul George, Khris Middleton, etc.—aren’t available. Even if they were, the Nets pick on its own won’t do the trick.
And thus, the Cavaliers’ dilemma. They have to be all-in on this season, because LeBron James is on their team, and they need to give him a reason to stick around. But they don’t, as of now, have access to a trade-deadline venture worth going all-in on.
