Will the Cleveland Cavaliers make a SPLASH MOVE at the trade deadline or try & dip under the tax?
The NBA trade deadline is less than a week away, and the Cleveland Cavaliers will have some rather pressing decisions to make during that time.
Do they swing for the fences? Do they take a big risk? Do they make a small depth move? Or will they do nothing at all?
The latter two scenarios are probably the most likely outcomes for the Cavaliers, who don’t have a ton of trade options and are in a rather precarious financial situation.
Cleveland is currently a shade over the luxury tax, which means that it will have to handle things very carefully heading into Feb. 6. That is, of course, unless the Cavs don’t care about the tax, but it seems hard to believe that it isn’t at least on Dan Gilbert’s mind.
This makes completing trades rather complicated for a Cavaliers squad that currently owns the best record in the Eastern Conference and just placed three players into the All-Star Game.
Basically, Cleveland fans should already be bracing themselves for a quiet trade deadline.
Outside of Jaylon Tyson, the Cavs don’t have any legitimately enticing trade assets. Caris LeVert has been floated as a potential trade chip, but would the Cavaliers really move LeVert, who has been so vital to their success thus far this season?
Cleveland seems very cognizant of its locker-room chemistry, and it doesn’t want to mess with it. The Cavs have finally developed some continuity, which has been the driving force behind their meteoric rise during the 2024-25 campaign.
Could the Cavaliers afford to add another piece? Sure. They really do need another bench big, and they stand to bring in a player who can defend some of the longer wings that they may see in the playoffs, such as Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum.
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5 Comments
I want to see the Cavs win, but they aren’t winning a championship with this roster.
We can’t give away Merrill yet
I can't wait until the trade deadline is over. So we don't have to speculate anymore. Although the next discussion will be who they could possibly sign after buyouts. It would be nice if a team bought out a player that could fill a need. It'll be interesting to see what moves happen between now and Thursday.
Doesn’t cutting Porter Jr and Thor get them under the cap, if no one is added?
If Jabari Smith Jr can be had the Cavs need to get him. He fixes a bunch of issues.