Category Archives: Featured

Cavs: Possible trade targets

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The Cleveland Cavaliers made some big moves this offseason to improve their roster. With that in mind, should the Cavs look to make further upgrades, Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley put together a group of players that should be Cleveland’s top three trade targets.

After noting concerns that the Cavs may not have adequately addressed their needs for a two-way wing player, Buckley notes that Royce O’Neale, Caleb Martin, and Josh Green are players who should be on Cleveland’s radar.

It’s possible, then, Cleveland could still be in the market for a two-way wing who finally balances this roster. The Cavs don’t have much to spend after paying a fortune for Donovan Mitchell last offseason, but they might be able to reel in a mid-tier target like O’Neale (expendable with Brooklyn’s wing depth), Martin (a potential casualty of the Miami Heat’s Damian Lillard pursuit) or Green (a likely trade candidate should the Dallas Mavericks do anything major).

It is about mid-tier targets for the Cavs. As mentioned by Buckley, Cleveland does not have a lot of draft capital to work with. This means their future assets worth less than other teams can only net a certain level of player in return. Perhaps the Cavs could be involved as a third-team facilitator in a larger trade that sees them deal from an area of redundancy on their roster to get a higher-caliber player. But that is not something anyone should be counting on.

There are not any glaring needs for the Cavs at this moment. Cleveland is in a position to add complementary players rather than stars. It is about finding the right supporting cast for the core of their roster. Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen are locks to be in the starting lineup, and finding the right combination of players to surround them with to make a deeper playoff run is absolutely necessary.

Darius Garland just misses Top 5 in list of young guards

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Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Darius Garland has seen his stock rise in recent seasons. Garland originally shared time in the Cavs’ backcourt with an incompatible player in Collin Sexton. An injury to Sexton in his final season in Cleveland and his subsequent trade led to Garland playing at the level that everyone was hoping he was capable of.

Now sharing the backcourt with Donovan Mitchell, Garland is thriving, finding himself mentioned as one of the Top-10 guards under the age of 25. Just outside the Top-5 is Garland, according to Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley.

“At 23 years old, Darius Garland has already established himself as one of the Association’s elite offensive initiators. He is one of only five players to average 21 points, seven assists and two three-pointers in each of the past two seasons. Garland is also in the process of upping his efficiency (career-high 58.7 true shooting percentage last season) and improving his decision-making (career-low 13.5 turnover percentage).”

The players ranked ahead of Garland are a pretty impressive group. LaMelo Ball, Tyrese Haliburton, Ja Morant, Anthony Edwards, and Luke Doncic make up the top five spots. Grievances can be had with Ball and Haliburton, but the top three are pretty much set in stone.

Darius Garland is still on an upward trajectory and is working on putting the finishing touches on his overall skillset. The Cavs will be a team at least in contention with Garland manning the point for the foreseeable future. Continued development from Evan Mobley will also help, in addition to the Cavs possibly working out an extension with Mitchell.

Cleveland is in good hands with Garland and should be able to make a deeper postseason as soon as this upcoming season.

How many wins are the Cavaliers projected to have this season?

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The Cleveland Cavaliers made a handful of moves this offseason to improve their roster. While none are as big as last year’s move for Donovan Mitchell, it was about improving the depth and quality of their role players. It is obvious that they accomplished what they set out to do, but is it enough to increase their win total?

Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey put together win-loss predictions for every team in the NBA following the schedule release on Thursday. Setting the over/under at 50.5, Bailey broke down the Cavaliers’ off-season and why they may struggle to equal or surpass last season’s win total.

“One year after trading for Donovan Mitchell, the Cleveland Cavaliers made more noise this summer by acquiring Max Strus and Georges Niang. In theory, those two will improve upon the Cavs’ shooting and provide a little stability on the wing. Last season, small forward was about the only position that didn’t feel rock solid. So, why the slight step back from 51 wins in 2022-23 and a prediction that they’ll go under in 2023-24? For one thing, the East figures to be stout again. And it’s not hard to imagine improvements in the win column from the Miami Heat (who won 44 games in 2022-23), New York Knicks (47) and Atlanta Hawks (41), to name a few. Strus might not be the upgrade over Cedi Osman some perceive him to be either. The loss of Ricky Rubio (who has “decided to stop my professional activity to take care of my mental health”) and a lack of depth at center could hurt the bench too. That doesn’t make this under a lock, of course. Cleveland was plus-10.2 points per 100 possessions when Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen were on the floor in 2022-23. Both Garland and Mobley could be better next season. It just feels like 2023-24’s 50-win club is going to be exclusive, and that necessitated some tough cuts.“

These are all very valid points, especially the unknown status of Ricky Rubio. But when it comes to Max Strus not being the upgrade over Cedi Osman many expect, he could not be further off. This is less about Strus and more about Osman. Osman is an incredibly frustrating player to watch. There can be the occasional 20-30 seconds of outstanding plays from Osman, but they are more often than not surrounded by 3-5 minutes of missing wide-open shots and attempting to play at a level he is not capable of. Even if there was no direct replacement for Osman, removing him from the equation is a step forward in itself.

Honestly, the projected win total for the Cavs seems mostly rooted in having certain teams already exceeding the 50-win threshold and coming back to the others to fill everything else in. Considering other teams and their improvements were mentioned in the Cavaliers portion while overlooking their own moves certainly points towards that being the case.

Cavaliers predicted record: 48-34

Cavs trade Donovan Mitchell to Knicks in ridiculous mock trade

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As if there was not already enough unnecessary trade speculation involving Donovan Mitchell, we now have a mock trade. This one comes from James Piercey of NBA Analysis Network and has the Cavs sending Mitchell to the Knicks (shocker). The mock trade is as follows.

New York receives Donovan Mitchell.
Cleveland receives RJ Barrett, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Quentin Grimes, in addition to New York’s 2026, 2028, and 2030 first-round draft picks.

Jesus tapdancing Christ, what are we doing here?

The only way a trade like this would be considered from Cleveland’s perspective is Donovan Mitchell straight-up requested a trade to the Knicks. That’s it. Cleveland made multiple moves in the offseason to improve their supporting cast in order to make a deep postseason. They are very much invested in being competitive this season and a trade such as this one would make them further from rather than closer to that.

RJ Barrett is a good player, but Donovan Mitchell is better. This is an undeniable fact. Too much stock is being put into one playoff series that saw the entire Cavaliers team play poorly. There would be one positive in this swap and that is Barrett being under contract for four more seasons while Mitchell’s deal expires after the 2024-25 season. This is assuming he declines his player option for the 2025-26 season which is a near certainty.

The hypothetical addition of Grimes is interesting due to his ability to shoot the three. However, the Cavs sought out help this offseason in order to address that very issue. Max Strus’ 197 made three-pointers ranked 21st and Georges Niang’s 154 was 48th. Where did Grimes finish? Just three spots ahead of Niang with three more three-point makes. Taking this into consideration the appeal sort of dissipates just a bit.

A big man and draft picks

As far as Hartenstein is concerned, Cleveland already had him once. There is not really a reason to bring him back at this time. And to be fair, his inclusion in the deal is just to make the money work as the author admitted in the brief blurb regarding Hartenstein. Additionally, it was noted that Cleveland may not want Hartenstein.

One quick thing about the draft picks. The Knicks are supposed to be good right? So the likelihood that these end up being lottery picks is incredibly small. An argument could be made that the Cavs could use them to acquire a superstar-type player. But they did that already by sending picks and players to Utah for Donovan Mitchell. Why would they go down the same road they have previously and perform a literal repeat? The answer is they wouldn’t.

There is simply no reason for the Cavs to entertain this hypothetical trade package for Donovan Mitchell at this time.

Jarrett Allen named way too early trade deadline candidate

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Could the Cleveland Cavaliers move one of their big men by the NBA Trade Deadline? That possibility was suggested in an article identifying 1 Way-too-early 2024 trade deadline candidate for all 30 teams. Jarrett Allen was the Cavs’ entry on this list and there is a pretty solid case made for it.

Not only do they have to take a tangible step forward in their overall team development to try and sell Donovan Mitchell on their future, but they also have to figure out what the dynamic is going to be with the emerging Evan Mobley

There are a couple of things to take away from this. First off is fit as it became very questionable this past season. The Cavs were lacking enough threats from outside the paint and having Allen as a permanent resident near the basket bogs things up down there. This leads us to the next point.

Figuring out how things will work with Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley. Mobley is clearly the future in Cleveland while Allen has been a solid addition to what used to be a very underwhelming group of players who did not fit together. Now Allen has found himself in that position. Unless the Cavs can convince Allen to come off the bench, he may not be in Cleveland long-term.

Lastly is selling Donovan Mitchell on a future in Cleveland. It was already reported that the Cavs are “rolling out the red carpet” for the star. While at first, it seems like moving Allen would be the opposite, finding a way to build the right supporting cast around him to convince him to stay would prove beneficial.

Is a trade on the horizon? Not necessarily, but the fact Allen’s name continues to appear signals that his time with the Cavs may be coming to an end sooner rather than later.

When to expect a possible Donovan Mitchell extension

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What is the expected timeline for contract extension talks between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Donovan Mitchell?

The future of Donovan Mitchell in Cleveland has been one of two recurring topics this offseason, (the other being trade rumors involving Jarrett Allen). While there is no genuine information at this time about a potential departure, that not has stopped speculation from those in other larger markets.

ESPN’s Brian Windhorst made an appearance Monday on NBA Today, providing some insight into the situation.

I don’t think under any circumstances he was ever considering extending this season, and I think the Cavs knew that when they traded for him

Brian Windhorst on Donovan Mitchell

Windhorst would also add that it is next year when should be any sort of pressure to sign Mitchell to an extension. Even though it would be a bit comforting to have a resolution sooner rather than later, there is no need to panic as of yet. The Cavaliers have been reportedly “rolling out the red carpet” for Donovan Mitchell and this is a process that takes time.

This does appear to be unwelcome news for perpetual crybaby Tim Bontemps. Bontemps has been campaigning all summer for the Cavaliers to trade Donovan Mitchell. There could be a time when the Cavs are put in a position where it would be wise to trade Mitchell, but it doe not appear to be coming any time soon.

Analyst doubles down on unnecessary Donovan Mitchell speculation

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It is another day in the NBA offseason that features unnecessary speculation about the future of Donovan Mitchell in Cleveland.

A conversation between ESPN’s Tim McMahon, Tim Bontemps, and Brian Windhorst produced some interesting and superfluous quotes. First up is Bontemps.

…I don’t think there’s any chance he signs an extension there ever. And if it was up to me, I would trade Donvan Mitchell today…they’ll get a lot more for him w/ 2 summers left than they will w/ 1…Now I also am fully aware that’s not what they’re gonna do and I understand why…

Tim Bontemps on Donovan Mitchell

If that name sounds familar that is because it is. Bontemps also spread some very premature trade speculation about Donovan Mitchell not too long ago. This just appears to be a continuance of his previous stance.

Windhorst would add the following tidbit.

…This Fall when Donovan doesn’t extend…I’m sure he’ll get asked about it at Media Day & I’m sure he’ll have a very good answer & maybe even a hedge answer, & um, that’ll be interesting…

Brian Windorst on Donovan Mitchell

Again, also unnecessary. However most of any non-LeBron coverage of the Cavs from good old Windy is pretty much useless anyway.

The important takeaway is considering the source of where these quotes are coming from. Bontemps clearly has an agenda he is clearly pushing. An agenda that features Donovan Mitchell not extending his time in a Cavaliers uniform. And as afar as Windhorst is concerned, that was addressed above.

Is there a world where Donovan Mitchell does not remain in Cleveland? Sure. But there is also a world where Mitchell signs a contract extension at some point and remains with the Cavs. The issue is that only one side of this conversation is currently getting national attention and anyone familiar with Cleveland sports knows it is not the one that sees a star player stay.

Cavs rebuild has taken time, but worth the wait

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It has not been an easy path in the second post-LeBron Jame era, but the Cleveland Cavaliers have finally got themselves back on the right track. There has been quite a bit of trial and error but a series of moves over the past year or so have the Cavs to sort through some redundancies on the roster and get them in a much better spot moving forward.

2022’s offseason set the table

It all started with the trade which saw Cleveland land Donovan Mitchell in exchange for Collin Sexton, Lauri Markkanen, Ochai Ogbaji, and draft picks. While Markkanen did have a career-year in Utah, that simply would not have happened with the Cavs had they not acquired Mitchell. Darius Garland and Sexton would be the primary options while Evan Mobley would have continued his growth in addition to getting decent contributions from Jarrett Allen. There simply would not be enough touches for Markkanen in Cleveland had he remained a Cavalier.

2023-24 is when the Cavs should ascend to the next level

Continuing their process from the previous offseason, Cleveland moved on from some more players who simply had no future here. The Cavs traded Cedi Osman and Lamar Stevens in exchange for Max Strus in a three-team sign-and-trade. This was another example of Cleveland identifying players that were not going to be able to carve out a signifiant role in a competitive Cavaliers squad.

Strus should slide into the starting lineup while Isaac Okoro should be a competent three-point and defensive specialist off the bench (as long his three-point shooting continue to improve). Bringing in Damian Jones, Ty Jerome, and Georges Niang in addition to re-signing Caris LeVert and drafting Emoni Bates should solidify their bench group. The decision to add this group of players to their existing bench of Okoro, Ricky Rubio, and Dean Wade was made with the intention of improving their second unit.

It has always been about the big picture

There is a reason why the Cavs were so eager to make the moves they have in recent years. The players they traded in 2022 for Mitchell are fine, but they are more of the complimentary variety. Cleveland needed a clear number one scoring option as they did not have one. Sexton and Markkanen are fine, but are not what the Cavaliers needed.

A good front office is able to identify when they can no longer bank on potential. While Sexton, Markkanen, and Ogbaji had plenty of potential, the team was going to go nowhere with them on the roster. Treading water and continuing to be irrelevant is a death sentence no matter the sport. If Koby Altman did not make any moves there is a very good chance he is not currently still the general manager of the Cavaliers.

The trades for Mitchell and Strus highlight the big moves Cleveland believes will bring them closer to rather than further from a championship. There will more than likely be more moves at some point during the season, but the foundation and framework appear to be in place. It will be about making minor moves and slight roster adjustments moving forward, the hallmarks of a team that is genuinely ready to compete.

Cavs early free agent winner as they improve supporting cast

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There was one clear objective for the Cleveland Cavaliers heading into the 2023 offseason and that was improve their supporting cast. At first it did not seem like that the Cavs were going to do all that much after picking up Lamar Steven’s option and letting Cedi Osman’s contract become guaranteed. The good news is that was all just a precursor to what the front office actually had in store.

Additions

A big time trade which saw the Cavs land Max Strus in a sign-and-trade was the type of move that hits at multiple points. Strus is a clear upgrade at the small forward position while also getting rid of some of Cleveland’s roster clutter in Stevens and Osman. Turning those two into Strus is a big win for the Cavs.

Cleveland was not done yet as they added two more quality free agents in Georges Niang and Ty Jerome. Niang should be a clear candidate to see his fair share of minutes off the bench at the forward position. With a 40.1% conversion rate from deep last season, Niang should help provide some much needed space when he is on the floor.

Jerome comes over as an intriguing bench option at guard. Cleveland may be the place where Jerome sees a relatively consistent amount of minutes as that has fluctuated fairly frequently up to this point in his career. One way to become a difference maker for this Cavs team? Help out in the shots from deep department. Jerome made 38.9% of his threes last season which would have been the third-highest among relevant Cavs players in 2022-23.

One key free agent retained

Caris LeVert is still in a Cavs uniform as the two-sides agreed on a deal for him to stay in Cleveland. It does not seem like this move would be on the table without the bench shuffling made by the Strus trade. LeVert is someone who runs very hot and cold which can be exciting or excruciating to watch depending on the day. Maybe a clearer role and on-court grouping will help LeVert be a bit more consistent on a game-by-game basis. At worst LeVert helps in the continuity department which this team does need after jettisoning a few players.

Another move on the way?

There is still the possibility more moves could be coming for Cleveland as they are still not all the way closed on trading Jarrett Allen. Moving Allen could clear things up a bit more for this roster. It could also help make an addition to this roster which brings them up to the same level as true contenders. It may be a bit before things become a bit more clear in this situation and it may even take until the season starts with Allen still in the starting lineup for the Cavs.