Every year, big trades are made during the NBA Draft that change the landscape of the league. Since LeBron James returned to Cleveland in 2014, the Cavaliers haven’t had to worry about ground-shaking draft deals, as they have either had a very late draft pick, or none at all. This year, however, the Cavs are in a much different position.
Thanks to the Kyrie Irving trade, Cleveland owns the eighth overall pick this year, and could do any number of things with it.
Many teams have expressed interest in trading up into the top 1o of this year’s draft, and one of those teams is the Toronto Raptors. According to NBA reporter Marc Stein, no one on Toronto’s roster is off-limits in pursuit of a selection. Kentucky point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the target, and he should be on the board when the Cavaliers are on the clock.
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The Raptors do have some players that should interest Cleveland, so what could a possible deal look like?
The first player that the Cavs should try to obtain is point guard Kyle Lowry. An All-Star in each of the last four seasons, Lowry is one of the better point guards in the league. He is 32-years-old, and is under contract through the 2019-2020 season. He is owed $64 million over the next two seasons, so he will be very expensive financially.
On the court, Lowry is a solid defender, a good playmaker, and a great scorer. Last season he averaged 16.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 6.9 assists per game, while shooting 43 percent from the field and 40 percent from beyond the arc. He isn’t Kyrie Irving, but he has everything that LeBron James needs in a floor general. Lowry can create his own shot, drive to the basket, and sit in the corner and knock down a triple. He would be a very good fit for the Cavs and would improve the team’s chances against Golden State.
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The second player that should interest Cleveland is DeMar DeRozan. A four-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA, DeRozan is one of the game’s best isolation scorers. In 2017-2018, he averaged 23 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game. DeRozan would take some of the pressure off of LeBron James, and give the Cavs a second scorer that they desperately missed last season.
The problems with DeRozan are that he is very ball-dominant, and needs the basketball in his hands in order to be effective. He also shot just 31% from three-point range last season, so he would not be the best fit playing next to James.
That’s not to say the Cavs shouldn’t try to get DeRozan. They could use his scoring ability just like every NBA team could. But there are better fits for Cleveland.
One of those better fits is Serge Ibaka. The nine-year veteran is still one of the best defenders in the NBA, and his offensive game has improved immensely since entering the league. He averaged 12.6 points and 6.3 rebounds per game last season, while shooting a respectable 36 percent from distance.
Ibaka would play center for Cleveland, and would give the Cavs a major upgrade both offensively and defensively, while drastically improving their spacing and rim protection.
Another big man that could be dealt is Jonas Valanciunas. He scored 12.7 points and grabbed 8.2 boards per game last season. Valanciunas is more of a traditional center, but he has very good athleticism for the position. He would be a major mismatch for the Warriors, and if when Draymond Green is playing center, the Cavs would be almost guaranteed two points per possession when Valanciunas is on the court.
In order for a deal to be made, the Cavaliers would need to get another rotational player who may not be a star, but could still contribute at a high level. Options include former Cavalier C.J. Miles, a solid defender with a nice shooting stroke; Delon Wright, a decent scoring backup point guard, and the mot valuable of the three; or OG Anunoby, a long, athletic wing with a good three-point shot and exceptional defense.
Any trade with Toronto would be predicated on the Raptors deciding to enter into a quasi-rebuilding stage, as they realize that they have no hope of advancing past Boston, Cleveland, or Philadelphia.
Whether or not this is the case is unknown at this point, and he only way an answer will be given is if a trade like this is made.
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An example of a mutually beneficial deal would be something like this:
Cleveland receives: PG Kyle Lowry, SF OG Anunoby, PF Serge Ibaka
Toronto receives: PG George Hill, PG Jordan Clarkson, C Tristan Thompson, 2018 eighth overall pick
In addition to getting their top 10 pick to take their point guard of the future, the Raptors also get some salary relief. Instead of paying a total of $109 million over the next two seasons to Lowry and Ibaka, they get George Hill’s contract, which guarantees only $1 million in 2019-2020, in addition to Thompson and Clarkson, who will make $62 million in the same time frame as Lowry and Ibaka, a savings of $46 million. Ante Zizic, Cedi Osman, or a future first-round pick could be added as sweetener if needed.
If the Raptors are against dealing Anunoby, Miles could be swapped into his deal easily, but Anunoby would be a fantastic fit for the Cavaliers. His athleticism and defense are something that Cleveland doesn’t have a whole lot of right now, and his shooting ability is just an added bonus.
In the playoffs, the Cavs would run a lineup of Kyle Lowry, J.R. Smith (or Rodney Hood), LeBron James, Kevin Love, and Serge Ibaka. Every single player is capable of hitting a three-pointer, which is exactly what James needs. The paint would be cleared for him to drive to the hoop, and more players will hang around the three-point line, leading to more open shots.
They may not be Kawhi Leonard or Paul George, but the collection of players that the Raptors have to offer would go a long way to making the Cavs a more competitive team against Golden State, Houston, Philly, and Boston.