8 perfect trade targets for the Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cleveland Cavaliers had high hopes entering the 2023-24 season. After swinging a trade for Donovan Mitchell in the summer of 2022, the Cavaliers went 51-31, secured the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs, and had the league’s second-best net rating at plus-5.6. With a young core of Mitchell, Evan Mobley, Darius Garland, and Jarrett Allen, and the offseason additions of Max Strus and Georges Niang, 2023-24 was going to be the year the Cavaliers took the next step and become a title contender. 

The Cavaliers recent surge has them poised to be buyers

Unfortunately, the Cavaliers got off to an uneven start, going 13-12 over their first 25 games with a negative point differential, and lost both Darius Garland and Evan Mobley to injuries. Instead of folding, the Cavaliers have sprung to life, surging to a 13-3 record since their Dec. 14 loss to the Boston Celtics. And more good news is on the way. Garland is expected back before the end of January, and Mobley should return in the first half of February. 

The Cavaliers are firmly in the playoff picture, have the cavalry arriving in short order, and can now use the trade deadline to fine-tune their roster ahead of the playoffs. When Garland and Mobley are back, the Cavaliers have four player archetypes they should be seeking.

1. A guard who can defend. Mitchell and Garland are excellent offensive players but are poor defenders.

2. Another wing. Everyone needs another wing.

3. An additional ball handler. After Garland and Mitchell, the Cavaliers’ best ball handler is Caris LeVert.

4. Stretch forward. The Cavaliers need a forward who can play with one or both of Mobley and Allen. 

Cavaliers' perfect trade targets

8. Royce O’Neale

The Brooklyn Nets haven’t postured like they will be sellers ahead of the deadline, but they’re 17-25 and have a surplus of wings to trade from. Royce O’Neale is a steady 3-and-D wing who the Nets should be receptive to moving as he is on an expiring $9.5 million contract. The Cavaliers remade their wing rotation over the summer, but O’Neale would slot nicely into it. 

7. Dorian Finney-Smith

Dorian Finney-Smith will be more complicated to land than O’Neale, but he offers far more size and team control. Finney-Smith is the quintessential 3-and-D wing. He defends multiple positions, takes and makes open threes, and doesn’t care how often he touches the ball. Listed at 6’7, playing Finney-Smith alongside Mobley and Allen would give the Cavaliers a massive frontcourt. 

Finney-Smith is under contract next season for $14.9 million before a $15.3 million player option. The additional year of team control may be more enticing to the Cavaliers as they’ve used most of their trade chips already. He’s not on the best contract, but teams pay a lot more for wings, who produce far less. 

6. Alec Burks

Alec Burks has been on a mini-tear recently. Over his past 11 games, he has averaged 19.7 points on 47.7 percent 3-point shooting on eight attempts per game and has had two 30-point outbursts. Over the past four seasons, Burks has shot 40.8 percent from 3, never dipping below 40 percent for a season. 

The appeal in acquiring Burks is his excellent shooting, but he’s also a 6’6 shooting guard who can moonlight at small forward. He’s on an expiring $10.5 million and will not command a massive trade return. The Cavaliers need one more ball handler and one more wing, and Burks checks both of those boxes

5. TJ McConnell

Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell is a devastating offensive pairing, but it leaves a lot to be desired on the defensive end. Despite their deficiencies, the Cavaliers have managed the third-best defensive rating in the league, but that comes with a slight caveat. Their defense didn’t become elite until Garland went out with an injury.

Before Garland went out on Dec, 15, the Cavaliers had a defensive rating of 113.2, but that figure has dropped to 110.2 over the ensuing 16 games. Improving defense at the guard position should be on their to-do list, and TJ McConnell is the perfect low-usage, pesky defender to bolster their rotation.

McConnell is a table-setting point guard with a sterling assist-to-turnover ratio on offense and is a tenacious steal merchant on defense. Unfortunately, he almost never shoots 3s, and his lack of size (6-foot-1) makes it impossible to play him with Garland and Mitchell. 

Indiana is not going to be a seller, but they could look to move McConnell to get off his the final year of his contract at $9.3 million. They’re at $105 million in salary commitments next season, and that doesn’t include a new contract for Pascal Siakam. 

4. Luke Kennard

Luke Kennard is one of the best shooters in the NBA. He is a career 43.6 percent 3-point shooter, has led the league twice in 3-point percentage, and over the past four seasons, his lowest full-season mark is 42.6 percent. The Cavaliers will need to figure out their spacing when Mobley returns, and Kennard is one of the best available options. 

The reason he’s attainable for the Cavaliers is he is a poor defender and has injury concerns. He’s owed $14.7 million this season and has a team option in 2024-25 for the same figure. The Grizzlies are about to get very expensive and may want to recoup something for Kennard in a season where they’re going nowhere. 

3. John Konchar

John Konchar is a solid 3-and-D shooting guard/small forward on a very good contract. He’s owed $2.4 million this season before a three-year extension at $6.16 million per year. Konchar would represent a marginal upgrade for the Cavaliers this season and provide them with cost-controlled depth right as their roster gets expensive. 

2. Jerami Grant

The Cavaliers trading for Jerami Grant would be an all-in move, but he’d be a great fit next to their core four. He can play either of the forward positions, initiate offense, defend multiple positions, and is a career 36.2 percent 3-point shooter. Grant, as a primary option, over the past four seasons, has averaged 20.9 points per game on an effective field goal percentage of 51.6 percent. 

Every team could use a player as good and versatile as Grant, but he is in the first year of a five-year, $160 million contract that has a $36.4 million fifth-year player option. The Cavaliers have a small season-and-a-half window where they can keep their core together and afford Grant, but it would improve their title odds significantly. 

1. Kelly Olynyk

Kelly Olynyk has had an excellent season off of Utah’s bench. He’s averaging 20.8 minutes, 8.0 points and 4.4 assists per game on 41.1 percent 3-point shooting. His combination of shooting and passing from the center position is rare, and his skill set would allow him to play next to either Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. Olynyk is on a $12.2 million expiring contract. 

The Cavaliers need another frontcourt player with Tristan Thompson’s PED suspension, but landing a player who can’t realistically play alongside Mobley or Allen would be a wasted opportunity.