The Cleveland Cavaliers have taken a step back this season, as things have not been the same after their historic season from last year. Injuries have crept up on them, but outside of that, they just haven’t been playing very well. When that happens, and it’s around December, the trade rumors start swirling, and that’s what’s going on at the moment.
The name that keeps popping up is Coby White, as several teams have called about him, including the Cavs, according to Brett Siegel of Clutch Points.
“As far as possibly pursuing White in a trade with Chicago goes, these two teams swapped Okoro and Ball this past offseason,” Siegel wrote. “Ball has not worked out as Garland’s backup so far, and White is the type of dynamic scoring guard who would thrive in Atkinson’s system. One Eastern Conference executive told ClutchPoints that such a move could signal Cleveland wanting to replace Garland with White in the offseason.”
It’s hard to see if White is truly an upgrade from Garland, especially when looking at the past few games for the Cavs’ guard. If anything, the Cavs would be making that deal because they think White fits better alongside Donovan Mitchell, but he and Garland play the same type of game.
The Cavs might want to stand pat at the moment instead of making a big deal like that, including one of their core pieces. There are other players they could consider trading, such as De’Andre Hunter or Dean Wade, but they may not get the caliber of player they want.
The Cavs are still waiting to get Evan Mobley back from injury, and that’s when most of their problems started. Mobley is another scorer and defender that they’re missing on the floor, and though he may not fix everything, he can make a difference when he’s playing.