By this time next week, the Cleveland Cavaliers could look remarkably different. While a lot of armchair GMs are fantasy booking their favorite landing spots for Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen, and, for some reason, Evan Mobley, the facts remain that the Cavs aren't interested in moving those men. The core unit of the Cavs is pretty secured and only an Earth-moving deal could be enough to move on from them.
Still, moves are expected to happen. Two of the biggest names that could be out the door by next Thursday include, but aren't limited to, Lonzo Ball and DeAndre Hunter. Right now, both men have seemingly worn out their welcome in Cleveland, and in order for the Cavs to get under the second apron comfortably, both men would likely have to be moved.
Luckily for the Cavs, GM Mike Gansey has done a good job of building out some young players to make moves like this possible. The rise of Jaylon Tyson, the development of Craig Porter, and the unexpected boost that rookie Tyrese Proctor have given the Cavs this season have made Hunter and Ball expendable. Which is good, because neither man is going to fetch you that much back in a trade.
Ideally, the Cavs trading Hunter and Ball away for nothing, or maybe a second-round pick in a future draft, would be ideal. That would get the Cavs under the second apron and allow them to make more moves in the future. Plus, the team has enough talent on its roster right now to try to contend without additional players coming back. These moves would also help the Cavs land LeBron James in the near future, assuming he wants to return to Cleveland to finish out his career.
So the trade rumors persist, and three of them have gotten the most traction, so let's look at them.
Trade #1
The Los Angeles Lakers acquire F DeAndre Hunter
The Cleveland Cavaliers acquire F Rui Hachimura and F Dalton Knecht
According to Cleveland.com's Chris Fedor, this is a trade that's been talked about but doesn't seem to have much legs at the moment. The goal here is Knecht. Keeping Hachimura would be nice; he's a solid big man who can play a variety of positions, but his contract isn't appealing, and he doesn't offer much more than anyone on the Cavs roster currently. Sending Hachimura to a team like the Brooklyn Nets would be nice, as you as they can eat his salary, but that seems unlikely at the moment. Knecht makes it possible for the Cavs to move on from Max Strus in the offseason, saving the team even more money. That is, assuming Knecht can show some potential with the Cavs this season.
Trade #2
The Sacramento Kings acquire F DeAndre Hunter
The Cleveland Cavaliers acquire G Keon Ellis, G Dennis Schroder, and Dario Saric.
The prior trade with the Lakers seems like a salary dump waiting to happen; this Kings trade seems like the opposite. While HoopsHype's Michael Scotto seems to believe that Ellis is the goal for the Cavs, they would be wise to consider keeping Schroder as well. The guard is everything the Cavs were hoping Lonzo Ball would be. He's a decent scorer still, and while not a stud by any means, he'd be a fine enough addition to the Cavs as a backup for Darius Garland. He's in the first year of a three-year deal that'll pay him between $14 and $15 million a year, so he may not be the guy you want to keep around past this season, but he could fill a need in the wake of the failure of Ball's trade if you don't trust Porter or Proctor yet.
Trade #3
The Washington Wizards get G Lonzo Ball
The Cleveland Cavaliers get TBD
It may not seem like much of a trade, but as reports have pointed out, Lonzo Ball is 460th in shooting percentage out of 450 eligible players. He's washed, and the thought of giving up Isaac Okoro for him in a trade makes some fans a little ill to this day. The Washington Wizards know that the Cavs wanna dump Ball's salary so that the Cavs have wiggle room for the trade deadline. So they're offering to take Ball off the Cavs ' hands, for a nominal fee. They want draft capital in return, according to HoopsHype Scotto. A fair offer, but it seems unlikely the Cavs would give up a first-round pick to get rid of Ball, so this could be a situation where Ball and two second-round picks head over to the Wizards for a second-round pick of their own. It's a bold move, but one that would get the Cavs closer to being under the second apron.