According to a report, the Cleveland Cavaliers are aggressively looking to add another wing player this offseason.
“The Cavs spoke with the New Orleans Pelicans about the possibility of a Josh Hart sign-and-trade, sources tell cleveland.com, but that possibility apparently vanished Monday, when Hart moved closer to a three-year, $38 million deal to stay in New Orleans,” wrote Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. “Cleveland has also explored the trade market. Kyle Anderson, Terrence Ross, Joe Ingles, Bojan Bogdanovic, Cam Reddish, T.J. Warren, Thaddeus Young, Tobias Harris, Jeremy Lamb and Harrison Barnes are all said to be available. Reddish is a player the Cavs liked in the 2019 draft. They’ve been in contact with Atlanta about him. But wings don’t come cheap.”
It was revealed what the Cavs might have to give up in order to acquire a wing through a trade.
“In initial conversations, sources say most teams are asking for Cleveland’s 2022 first-round pick (with protections, of course), but that would be incredibly risky for a team with 60 total wins the last three years and projects to, in a best-case scenario, compete for a Play-In spot in 2021-22,” wrote Fedor. “Without the future first-rounder, which the Cavs seem unwilling to put on the table for any of the ‘available’ wings, interest turns to either Larry Nance Jr. — one of the few adults and winning players on the roster — or the pair of extra 2022 second-round picks (Houston and San Antonio). Does combining one or both with Cedi Osman get the Cavs anywhere?”
The Cavs are also linked to a former Chicago Bull.
“While exploring a bigger deal, the Cavs will continue to discuss the bottom-of-the-barrel wings that probably wouldn’t cost the mid-level exception,” wrote Fedor. “According to sources, there’s some interest in oft-injured Denzel Valentine who is said to be healthy.”
It sounds like Cleveland is going to explore every possible avenue to address its desire for another wing.
If Reddish ends up being the route that the Cavs go, he would be an exciting addition. While his numbers don’t jump off the page, he is just 21 years old and would fit perfectly in the timeline of Cleveland’s rebuild.
In the 2020-21 season, he averaged 11.2 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. Efficiency has been his biggest struggle in the NBA so far. He made just 36.5 percent of his shots this past season.
Overall, Reddish would be an intriguing piece for the Cavaliers. However, it sounds like he’s not the only one they are thinking about targeting.
The team seems to be doing its due diligence in the wing market, and it sounds like there are several different ways this could unfold. Time will tell which way the organization chooses to go.
