2020 Cleveland Flea Market

If early reports of deals between the Hawks, Dubs, T-Wolves, and Rockets are to be believed, then this year’s trade deadline is gonna be nutty. (Update, this domino has fallen). The Cavs will be major players with no less than $54 million in expiring contracts available to move and plenty of guys looking for a change of scenery. To that end, don’t expect anything earth shattering for the Cavs, who will probably parlay these guys into middling picks and if they’re smart, rent out some of their cap space in the next two years to get young players and picks. To that end, I used Twitter and tradenba.com to walk through some potential deals. I guess there is one earth shattering one in there. (Also, FYI, the boardgames in our cover pic by Lisa Bowman-Stevenson is a riot with a very solid economics/trading engine at its heart. Get it here).

Trade 1: The way this season has gone, no one is signing with Cleveland, and after TT and Henson move on, the Cavs are going to need some vets in the locker room. Here’s a deal that gets Cleveland a pick and a guy to mentor next year as he did in Jersey the last few.

This is the kind of hot wheeling and dealing the Cavs are going to be pulling off Thursday.https://t.co/UfcCbEl5jz pic.twitter.com/0VuxSumaAw

— HoopsDogg (@oldseaminer) February 5, 2020

The Spurs get a good backup center and the Cavs get a draft pick and a vet. (Bellinelli is waived). It’s not nothin.

Trade 2: I can hear Tom Pestak cringing now. I had to find a way to get Thad to the Cavs. But again: Cleveland is gonna need Vets. Those Bulls picks will be worth something. And they need to take a chance on rehabbing players who haven’t panned out in other spots. Also, they’re looking to move Thad, because they massively overpaid for him.

This is a straight salary dump for the Bulls, but it gets the Cavs a guy who needs a change of scenery in Valentine, a solid vet (with a dog of a contract), and a 2022 first.https://t.co/njrip6bvlp pic.twitter.com/tWyt7dvXd1

— HoopsDogg (@oldseaminer) February 5, 2020

Trade 4: TT reportedly very much wants to be moved now, and the Cavs should get something for him before he walks. I don’t love Dedmon this year, but again: they’re renting renting their cap space to get picks. And someone has to play center. TT could actually give the Kings some veteran leadership and help them make a playoff push. The Kings didn’t opt into Giles’ rookie extension, but he’s an intriguing player that is still just 21. Would be worth a look. The Cavs could squeeze two picks from the Kings because, they have over 20 future picks in their war chest, and Vlade Divac. Eli wanted Bogdan Bogdonovic, but I don’t think they’re moving him, and signing an RFA this summer doesn’t really fit Cleveland’s window.

Cavs need to just rent their cap space the next to years to acquire assets and picks. Taking picks to do things like eat the Dedmon contract, are what needs to happen.https://t.co/ItphsEqABu pic.twitter.com/KJCsIxC69O

— HoopsDogg (@oldseaminer) February 5, 2020

Trade 5: Here’s the blockbuster. Cavs attach picks they got in other deals to move Kevin Love to a contender. Jauncho and Beasley got moved earlier tonight, but you could still swap Torrey Craig or Monte Morris, instead of Jauncho here, or just leave that part off and make it up with draft picks. Unfortunately, the exit of Beasley in Denver makes moving Harris a little less likely, but the rumor was that Gary Harris was definitely available, and if that was true, I doubt this changes it.

This is the kind of Love deal the Cavs should consider. Yes, they're sending out picks, but they're getting a young player with potential they can try to flip next year or 2, & they're doing right by Kev. Other pieces of this deal can be spun off too.https://t.co/Vl37A1bLdP pic.twitter.com/bDYnlYPvq5

— HoopsDogg (@oldseaminer) February 5, 2020

This move makes the Nuggs a little big heavy on offense – they already have Paul Millsap. He can’t play forever, though, and Love can play backup center in a pinch. Splitting the minutes at the four and five minutes at the 5 for Love gets it done. Michael Porter Jr. picks up the minutes for Jerami Grant, who has been pretty bad in terms of plus/minus impact this year. This makes the Nuggets offense absolutely loaded with shooters and gives them a ton of rebounding and passing at every position. They still need a defensive wing, but it could work with the squad they have.

Trade 6: Otherwise you’re looking at a straight salary dump with at least a first and a second to make it happen, like this.

This is probably the best the Cavs can do right now, and even then Phoenix probably wouldn't. Cavs might have to attach a draft pick or three to make it happen.https://t.co/duIrDSFlHK pic.twitter.com/eMJYUOnlvm

— HoopsDogg (@oldseaminer) February 3, 2020

Trade 7: Of course, there’s the “bringin it all back home” trade. This one’s a bit nuts.

The rare KLOVE trade that helps all three teams.
https://t.co/528pWtXtwb via @tradenba1 pic.twitter.com/3boxMHr7RJ

— HoopsDogg (@oldseaminer) January 9, 2020

Anyway, if you take trades 1-5, the Cavs end up with a roster of Carroll, Young, Valentine, Dedmon, Gary Harris, Jerami Grant, Harry Giles, Collin Sexton, Darius Garland, Cedi Osman, Exum, KPJ, Nance, Dylan Windler, and Delly. That’s 15 guys, and it’s not awful. Sorry McKinnie. You’re out, but Denver does need a wing. Starters: Dedmon, Nance, Cedi, Harris, Garland. Second Unit: Giles, Young, Valentine, KPJ, Sexton. Third Unit: Exum, Carroll, Grant, with Delly inactive, and Windler on the DL. The Cavs are thin at the 5 and Nance and even Young might have to play some there.  But they are deep, and there are enough vets to keep things from going south next year.

Delly could also be moved, but in this plan he’s not coming back. That’s too many guys under contract next year, and the Cavs will have to move some to get draft picks on the roster. While it looks like some of those vets have two more years under contract, most have low buyouts in the third year. Jerami Grant has a player option for next year and hopefully hates Beilein enough that he doesn’t opt in. And yeah, there’s a good bit of money tied up in vets next season, and the Cavs likely can only add one draft pick when Delly falls off and the Cavs have to look to build some value and then move some folks in the offseason. It’s not what the Cavs will do, but they should do something like this. No one is signing in Cleveland this summer.