Cavs ready to deal as trade deadline looms
CLEVELAND — Cleveland Cavaliers general manager Koby Altman has made nearly 20 in-season trades since stepping into the GM role in 2017. Will he add to that number by the March 25 deadline?
The Cavs are expected to be active. They are already getting calls on a handful of their players. Even though there’s still about three weeks until the deadline, and only a couple moves have been made thus far, league activity is expected to pick up during the All-Star break, as teams continue to assess their place in the standings and determine whether they will be buyers or sellers.
Given the logjam in both conferences, it’s expected to be a seller’s market. The Cavs will likely fall into that category — to a point, of course.
Predicting trades is a fool’s errand. There are countless discussions that never materialize. But Cleveland has made its intentions clear on Andre Drummond, sitting him until finding a swap — or negotiating a buyout.
Everything starts there. But that’s not the only player the Cavs could move. They have no untouchables. Jarrett Allen and Collin Sexton are the closest to that designation. Darius Garland, Isaac Okoro and Larry Nance Jr. are also viewed as core players. Unless something drastically changes over the next three weeks or Cleveland gets completely blown away by an offer it can’t refuse, don’t expect any of those five to go anywhere — even though calls keep coming and strong offers have been made for Nance, including one package with multiple late firstround picks, sources say.
Nance would help a lot of teams and he’s on a multiyear bargain deal that makes it easy to come up with matching salaries. He’s the kind of versatile piece contenders covet. According to sources, Nance is the player the Cavs have received the most calls about. Sources say the Minnesota Timberwolves have been aggressively pursuing him since the offseason. Nance’s old teammate and buddy D’Angelo Russell is a strong Nance advocate. Boston, Philadelphia, New Orleans, Miami and Dallas have also shown interest.
But the Cavs keep telling opposing teams Nance, who is expected to be back in the lineup on March 12 following surgery on his fractured left hand, isn’t available. They love him and recognize what he means to the city and organization. It’s hard to see an immediate path to improvement by sending him away. Who — or what — is considered an upgrade? Altman has even joked with opposing execs about having to trade himself in any Nance deal because fans, coaches and players would quickly turn on him.
Of all the moves Altman has made during this rebuild, he has yet to deal a member of the core. Well, except for Kevin Porter Jr. — a trade forced by a handful of unique circumstances. Hard to see that changing.
It’s entirely possible the most impactful trade has already been consummated, snatching Allen and Taurean Prince from Brooklyn as part of the James Harden blockbuster. But the Cavs will stay aggressive until the deadline buzzer.
They are willing to discuss both Prince and Cedi Osman — a pair of wings with starting experience who could provide bench depth in the right situation. Both are currently part of the Cleveland’s every night rotation but neither departure would significantly shift the landscape of the roster. Neither is considered a core piece. Teams have called on both, seeing that Cleveland’s future at that position is tied to Okoro and possibly Dylan Windler.
Veteran JaVale McGee has sparked interest from center-needy teams because of his leadership, playoff experience and easy-to-match $4.2 million expiring contract. Then again, dealing McGee and Drummond would be risky, leaving the Cavs one short at center.
The biggest question centers on Drummond. The Cavs still believe there’s enough interest that they will be able to move him — even if others around the league are skeptical. A buyout would take away his Bird rights, which could lead to a less lucrative contract this summer, something Drummond will need to consider.
One thing working in Cleveland’s favor, according to a rival executive, is the belief that only a few teams will have a realistic shot in the buyout market. If the New York Knicks, Toronto Raptors, Chicago Bulls, Heat or Celtics — all teams linked to Drummond — truly have interest, how many would beat out Brooklyn or Los Angeles in free agency? Recognizing their chances are probably slim, any of those five teams could be incentivized to acquire him in a trade, the one path to guaranteeing his addition in the second half.
Even before their decision to sit Drummond a few weeks ago, the Cavs had done their homework on potential suitors. They’re aware of which teams fit the general framework of a deal that could require some creativity — or a third team to help facilitate. Both Osman and Prince could come into play there.
On one side: Teams with the contracts to make a straight-up Drummond trade work financially given his mammoth $28.7 million salary number. On the other side: Teams who would be interested in a talented player who isn’t the easiest stylistic fit and has been incredibly inefficient scoring around the rim. Finding the intersection of those teams is key. It also remains tougher than some may realize, which is why the buyout speculation has increased.
Sources maintain the Cavs would prefer not to take on bad money in a Drummond swap, but would be open to it if the asset attached is worthwhile. The ideal package allows them to keep a cleaner cap sheet for the impending Sexton and Allen extensions.
The Knicks have been one of the league’s surprises, sitting in the fifth spot in the Eastern Conference with 19 wins at the break. They also have a need at center with Mitchell Robinson sidelined because of a fractured hand. New York has reportedly made Kevin Knox — taken one pick after Sexton in the 2018 NBA Draft — available in trade talks. Knox is represented by Cleveland native Aaron Turner. Former Cavaliers executive Brock Allen, who was part of the group that acquired Drummond last February, works in the Knicks’ front office. Drummond is from New York. The Knicks have the league’s lowest payroll and don’t have to send out as much salary as others. There are logical dots that connect.
The Raptors have been attached to Drummond for the last month. Toronto attempted to replace Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol with Aron Baynes and Alex Len — a pair of signings that have flopped. Len was released in early January. Given Toronto has raw but intriguing Chris Boucher, who has seen an uptick in minutes and production, it’s fair to wonder how much his recent rise could alter the Raptors’ view of their center spot.
A source with knowledge of the Mavericks’ thinking suggested Kevin Love as a much better fit given the team’s 3-point woes and desire to surround MVP candidate Luka Doncic with shooters. Love would also help boost Dallas’ problematic defensive rebounding metrics. Still, the Mavericks have two appealing expiring contracts — Tim Hardaway Jr. ($18 million) and James Johnson ($16 million) — that would help facilitate a deal.
Drummond doesn’t fit into Boston’s massive $28.5 million trade exception. But the Celtics’ path to the NBA Finals is blocked by some talented bigs and they may need to bolster the interior. Miami is creative and it has a few high-priced contracts with one year left (Kelly Olynyk’s $13.5 million, Meyers Leonard at $10.1 million and Andre Iguodala who makes around $15 million). Then again, recent chatter points to the Heat having other trade targets, including Kyle Lowry, John Wall or Victor Oladipo. Chicago has Otto Porter Jr.’s expiring deal that aligns financially.
At this point, it’s also tough to see the much-talked-about Love deal happening. Love is still recovering from a high-grade calf strain and hasn’t played since Dec. 27. He could be back soon after the break, which would provide a chance to showcase him for interested suitors.
Even though the Cavs would move Love in the right deal, their view of his value and the rest of the league’s hasn’t aligned in past discussions. Opposing teams see him as a depressed asset — a banged-up player on the wrong side of 30 with a declining skill set and bloated contract — and want a sweetener to take him. The Cavs, meanwhile, aren’t keen on a salary dump, which would require them attaching a pick or two. They still want a young player or draft compensation.
Talks are picking up. Trader Altman is listening.