Players The Cavs Should Target Before The Trade Deadline

CLEVELAND- The Cleveland Cavaliers are perennial contenders in the Eastern conference once again, but this time they are doing it without arguably the best basketball player to ever live.

The Cavs currently sit in the 4th spot of the eastern conference and have had stretches where they have looked like the best team in the NBA. However, consistency has alluded the Cavs in the first half of the year, but why?

Fans may say it is the lack of offensive production from Sophomore Forward Evan Mobley, or the learning curve between two ball-dominant guards in Garland and Mitchell, but there is one glaringly obvious problem with the Cavs to this point: Their bench.

Currently, the Cavs bench sits at the 5th lowest scoring bench in the NBA through the first half of the year with a total of 1,252 points through 43 games. Now, usually, this would not be cause for concern. Teams that have not just one, but two ball-dominant scorers usually see a decrease in bench points due to the lack of scoring opportunities. However, going into this year the Cavs bench was supposed to be what separated them from the powers that be in the East.

The three teams ahead of the Cavs in the standings (Boston, Brooklyn, and Milwaukee) all rank ahead of the Cavs in total bench points. Now, with the absence of Dean Wade and Ricky Rubio, you could argue that the Cavs bench has yet to hit full form. But, the addition of Rubio will not fix the streaky shooting of Caris Levert or Kevin Love’s struggles from behind the arc.

With the Cavs having their young core locked up for the next few years, now is the time to start thinking about pieces they could add to put them over the top in the East and capitalize on their championship window.

Here are a few targets that the Cavs should inquire about before the NBA trade deadline:

Bojan Bogdanovic

Now, the Pistons just reworked Bogdanovic’s deal and extended him to a two-year deal worth $39.1 million. The pistons have come out and said they reworked the deal because they wanted to hold onto Bogdanovic, but they may just be using that as a bargaining chip in trade talks. It does not make a whole lot of sense for the 2nd to last team in the East to hang onto a 33-year-old forward, especially when they can utilize him to conglomerate some young talent. This is where the Cavs step in. This is the perfect fit for the Cavs who need a ton of scoring help. Bogdanovic is averaging 21.2 points per game, which is the highest in his career and is shooting 42.2% from three. He is a guy you can plug in the starting lineup or bring off the bench. He can play as a small forward or a stretch power forward which gives the Cavs some flexibility with defensive matchups. His contract makes him available to the Cavs for the next two years and will not hurt their pockets too much if they let Kevin Love go after this year. The Cavs also may be a perfect trade partner for the Pistons as well seeing as they have a couple of young assets, they may be looking to move in LeVert, Okoro, or Osman.

Scary Terry Rozier

The Shaker Heights kid himself! We all remember having to see Terry in that hideous Celtic green lighting the Cavs up in game 6 of the 2018 Eastern Conference Finals. But now, Rozier is with the Hornets who are struggling and currently sitting last in the East and may be thinking about a rebuild centered around Lamelo Ball. Rozier is a prolific scorer, he is a ball-dominant guard who has a bag as vast as the ocean. He could replace the isolation scoring the Cavs expected from Caris LeVert but do it more consistently. Rozier is averaging 21 PPG, shooting 41.2% from the field and maintaining 5.3 assists per game. He’s a guy you can go to in crunch time when you need a big bucket. The Cavs have a lot of wiggle room with expiring contracts and young talent to make this work financially. Rozier and Charlotte just reworked Rozier’s deal that locks him up for the next 4 years, which would give the Cavs a solid scoring partner off the bench for Garland and Mitchell for years to come.

Gary Harris

Gary Harris looked as if he was going to be a problem in this league in his first few years in Denver. While his stats have decreased since then, he has still been a viable scoring threat and an important contributor to the teams he has played for. He would add a major scoring element to any championship contender, which is what the Cavs need. Harris would be a low-risk option that could have major benefits in the long run. Coupling him with Rubio will give him the chance to play off the ball and get into a shooting rhythm. If the Cavs are looking for a bang for their buck, Harris could be a good option.