This offseason has been rough on the Cleveland Cavaliers. Not only did they strike out on LeBron James, but a handful of their rivals in the Eastern Conference got better. Now, they are in a desperate spot.
If they stand pat, they are in serious danger of taking a nose dive in the Eastern Conference hierarchy. However, improving is easier said than done, as they have limited draft capital/financial flexibility.
Given their money problems, for the Cavaliers to add someone like Peyton Watson and Jonathan Kuminga (the two best players available that actually make sense for their roster), the Cavaliers are going to need to shed salary. And since Max Strus makes the most out of anyone who is not in their Big Four (Evan Mobley, Donovan Mitchell, Jarrett Allen, and James Harden), he is the player most likely to be traded.
So, with this in mind, here are three trade ideas that could help the Cavaliers turn the tide of their dreadful offseason (note: the Cavaliers could technically keep Strus and sign Kuminga, if they can get the latter to agree to play for the taxpayer mid-level exception).
Expanding the Dennis Schröder deal
The Cavaliers have already begun their pursuit to cut salary, as, on Friday, they traded Dennis Schröder to the Charlotte Hornets for Tre Mann. While Schröder is definitely gone, the trade has technically not been finalized. So, there is some opportunity for the Cavaliers to expand this trade to get Strus off their books as well.
One idea that a Fanspo user posited involves turning this trade into a four team deal involving the Cavaliers, Hornets, Denver Nuggets, and Memphis Grizzlies. Here, the Cavaliers would get Mann, Watson (in a sign-and-trade), Zeke Nnaji, and they would finalize their new deal with Harden (who is still technically unsigned). The Grizzlies would get a pick and Strus. Denver gets Ty Jerome and a pick, and the Hornets would still take Schröder.
This seems like a win for all parties. The Cavaliers get their big splash, Hornets get a backup point guard, the Nuggets get a quality player in Jerome while clearing up their books a bit, and the Grizzlies get some extra draft capital. Although, one could argue that Memphis should get more than a future second round pick in exchange for a value contract like Jerome.
A reunion in Miami
If we want to leave the Schröder transaction out of this, the Cavaliers could call up the Miami Heat, who are in desperate need of some extra offense, to help them and the Nuggets out with a three-team deal.
In this hypothetical, the Cavaliers would get Watson and Nnaji (they are probably going to have to eat his bad contract in most of these situations). The Nuggets would take a flyer on Nikola Jović, while also getting a future first round pick. Meanwhile, the Heat would bring Strus back and also get a promising young-ish guard in Julian Strawther (who I am still super high on by the way).
The Nuggets may be hesitant to swallow Jović's contract (he's just starting a four-year, $62.4 million dollar extension). However, maybe the 23 year old is finally able to unlock his tantalizing skillset in a new environment, and the first round pick could be used to bolster their team later on in the season.
Strus to Denver
To finish things off, here is another complicated four team trade that is so crazy that it just might work. This situation involves two new characters: the Chicago Bulls and Brooklyn Nets.
The Cavaliers would get Watson. Meanwhile, Nnaji becomes the Bulls' problem, but they also get Tre Mann, Danny Wolf (who is still only 22), and a couple of seconds. The Nets get to take a flyer on Noa Essengue (who may be losing favor in Chicago), and also absorb the remainder of Patrick Williams' dreaded contract. Strus goes to the Nuggets here, along with a top eight protected first round pick in 2031 (belonging to the Cavaliers).
This one is probably my least favorite, as Strus is kind of redundant of Cam Johnson, but that issue can easily be fixed if the Cavaliers agree to lift/lessen the protection on that pick.
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