Rarely do legitimate championship windows open up for a team, so for the Cleveland Cavaliers, it’s best for them to take advantage of what a stellar 2024-25 season they’ve been having thus far. Entering their Tuesday night clash against the Boston Celtics, the Cavs are boasting a 40-9 record — looking every bit the part of a team that has a huge chance of becoming the last team standing come late June.
There is a train of thought that if it something isn’t broken, then why fix it? But the Cavs may very well have more room in their roster to improve prior to the trade deadline. While it’s not likely for them to pull off a seismic trade in the vein of the bombshell Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis swap, adding someone like Cam Johnson could be in the realm of possibility for the Eastern Conference’s best team.
“Cam Johnson is realistic from the Cavs standpoint because his [salary] number is not $30 to $35 to $40 million. It’s one that fits within the parameters that they would be comfortable getting to. It fits within the parameters of the types of players that they would be more willing to actually consider moving in a deal if they feel like the player coming back is worth it enough for them,” Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com said in the latest episode of the Wine and Gold Talk podcast.
Fedor then floated that if the Cavs were to make such a trade for the Brooklyn Nets forward, Caris LeVert would be the main piece they send away.
“The guy that’s being discussed the most is Caris LeVert is because like that’s the logical contract to make a deal with Atlanta for DeAndre Hunter, Brooklyn for Cam Johnson, Portland for Jerami Grant. Like that’s the logical contract as the starting point of those conversations,” Fedor added.
Cavs still likely to do nothing prior to the trade deadline
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There is no reason for the Cavs to do anything that risks upsetting the delicate chemistry of their squad. Cam Johnson could be a huge addition, as he could play major playoff minutes for Cleveland and he doesn’t need the ball as much, making him the perfect fit at the three. But as Fedor noted, they don’t have the sense of urgency to do anything considering how well they’ve been playing all season long.
“They’re the best team in the Eastern Conference. They are a legitimate championship contender. They don’t have to go into this trade deadline feeling like we have to do something. If we don’t do something here, we can’t compete for a championship. They don’t have to have that mentality,” Fedor said.
