The Cleveland Cavaliers just made a notable move by acquiring Lauri Markkanen in a sign-and-trade as part of a three-way deal with the Chicago Bulls and Portland Trail Blazers. The Cavs also traded for Ricky Rubio, drafted Evan Mobley third overall in the 2021 NBA Draft and gave Jarrett Allen $100 million this offseason. However, it looks like they want to do more and are thinking even bigger.
Marc Stein reports on his Substack that Cleveland is still working to get Ben Simmons away from the Philadelphia 76ers. The Cavs have been rumored as a Simmons suitor for a bit now, with some suggesting that his Klutch relationship with Darius Garland could be playing a key role here.
Cleveland has a number of young trade assets to dangle in offers, plus a few bigger contracts to help match salary, though guys like Markkanen and Allen can’t be dealt until later in the season because they just got new deals. One would think the Sixers would want a trade sooner rather than later given Simmons’ apparent willingness to hold out, but Daryl Morey has continued to ask for a massive return.
While Simmons has his flaws, he would undoubtedly help the Cavs take a step forward after several seasons of rebuilding in another post-LeBron James era. The question is just how much Cleveland is willing to put on the table to blow up what is currently being built.
