The Cleveland Cavaliers have been inquiring about several players to upgrade their roster in preparation to make a deep run in the 2022-2023 NBA playoffs. The Cavs, who are currently seeded 5th in the Eastern Conference, want to improve play at the 3 spot in the starting rotation or improve their bench scoring with a player that can defend and shoot from 3. While initially being linked to Pistons small forward Bojan Bogdanovic, a 33 year old, 6ft 7 wing who is averaging 21 ppg while shooting 48 percent from the field and 41 percent from 3. They have also been linked to the Mavs Tim Hardaway Jr, another wing who stands at 6ft 5. Hardaway is shooting 35 percent from 3 and averages 13.9 ppg.
Upside, Downside
While both players are decent shooters, each has their drawbacks. Bogdanovic is an excellent shooter with size, however, he is no longer considered a serviceable defender and he doesn’t exactly fit the Cavs timeline. Hardaway is a good defender, but at 6ft 5 he is undersized as a small forward, something the Cavs have plenty of on their roster already. His 3 point shooting percentage is average, and he comes with a large cap number for the next two years.
Cleveland has also been linked to a potential 3 team deal with Utah and Atlanta in a proposed trade centered around John Collins. The trade would send Malik Beasley to Cleveland, Collins to Utah and Caris LeVert to Atlanta. This trade would be a deck shuffle for the Cavs as Beasley is very similar to LeVert. The only way this deal would make sense for the Cavs, is if they somehow acquire a pick in the deal that can be used to trade for a player that will fill that void at the 3 position. As the Cavs continue to look to improve their roster, more deals will hit the rumor wire.
