Subscribe
Follow Us
The Cleveland Cavaliers are entering the new season with low expectations once again. Ever since LeBron James left for LA, the Cavaliers have been struggling and this is still not the year where they will turn it around. Their roster is full of young, still raw prospects and it will take at least two more years to get that on a respectable level. However, there are some trade candidates around the league that could speed up that process for the Cavaliers.
Their squad is mostly set in two positions – the guards and the centers. The Cavaliers traded for Jarrett Allen last season and gave him a massive extension this summer. Additionally, they brought in Lauri Markkanen, still have Kevin Love, and selected Evan Mobley with the third selection in the 2021 Draft. The guards are set because of Darius Garland and Collin Sexton. These two young guys will be the backcourt of the future. Sexton is eligible for an extension and the Cavaliers are hoping that will be done by midseason.
Two names that come up as potential trade candidates for the Cavaliers, as two players that can speed the rebuild up, are Ben Simmons and CJ McCollum.
Cavaliers trade targets
CJ McCollum
It is time for the Portland Trailblazers to draw the line. A team of Damian Lillard, McCollum, and Jusuf Nurkic simply cannot win a championship together. Nurkic is entering his last year under contract and will most likely leave, either by trade or by simply going into free agency. McCollum still has three years left on his deal, but extracting some value from the two-guard will be more difficult as time goes. There is a perfect chance for the Cavaliers to enter the fray.
Of course, McCollum is not a terrible player. He had one of his best seasons last year, averaging 23.1 points on 45.8% shooting from the field. He also shot threes at a 40.2% clip, which is an elite percentage on 8.9 attempts, as he had last season. However, when it comes to the postseason, his defensive faults, together with Lillard's lack of defense, really hinder the Blazers' chances to make a bigger wave in the playoffs. The Cavaliers, on the other hand, might be able to put a squad together that will hide that.
With Sexton and Garland, both of them have been making leaps defensively to get on a sustainable level. They have all the physical tools to be great defenders so it would be a different situation for McCollum in the Cavaliers. Additionally, rather than a second fiddle to Lillard, McCollum would have a whole offense that would be running for him and that might open up a part of his game that we have not seen.
Of course, getting him to the Cavaliers would not be easy. The Trailblazers value their backcourt. However, it will eventually dawn on them that this roster is simply not winning a championship. Between Lillard and McCollum, absolutely everyone would choose Lillard, so McCollum would be on the trade block sooner than anyone else in that team. Thus, if there is a chance, the Cavaliers need to be on it.
Ben Simmons
The Australian forward is clearly long gone from Philadelphia. It would be a massive risk for the Cavaliers to bring him in, as is the case with every other team in the league. He showed a lot of disrespect to his team and clearly does not want to feature for them in the future. Since this is the case and it is pretty clear that the bridges are burnt, the Cavaliers have a unique shot to go for a very good player.
Simmons has flaws and has shrunk in a massive way against the Atlanta Hawks last season. However, to say that he is a poor player would simply be a massive understatement. The Cavaliers would be getting a floor general and an elite passer for cents on a dollar. He can still pass, rebound, run to the basket and play excellent defense. Additionally, while he develops even more, the Cavaliers can wait and then get all their young guys to a great level at the same time.
The price of Simmons is still high. The 76ers have a lot of leverage, as Simmons has four years left on his massive extension. However, if he decides to really sit out games, the price will fall. It would probably take one prospect and a first-round pick from anyone in the league to get Simmons. The Cavaliers have both and they have a massive contract in Kevin Love to match the salaries.
This really seems like a huge opportunity for the Cavaliers. They would get Simmons, who is a great player when the team is built around him, and for value they could only dream about last season. That would speed up the process of rebuilding and make them a playoff team possibly even in the next two years. There are still a lot of factors coming into the discussion, like whether Simmons really wants to get to Cleveland, but the Cavaliers need to take risks.
Regardless of any trades, this is a developmental season. The ideal scenario for the Cavaliers would be an injury-free year, with Mobley hitting the court ready to play and the backcourt developing even more. Should some trade opportunities open up, the Cavaliers should be on it instantly, but it does not seem like a necessity right away.
