The Cleveland Cavaliers are seen as a team that may possibly try to make a move prior to the Feb. 9 trade deadline, and the primary targets appear to be options at the wing position. One such option might be Portland Trail Blazers wing Josh Hart.
While a lot of names have been thrown around in recent days, this appears to be the first time this season that the Cavs’ potential interest in Hart has been reported. However, it is interesting to note that the Cavs reportedly had interest in acquiring Hart back in the summer of 2021.
#Cavs fans: Keep an eye on Josh Hart. https://t.co/HtMpiVyeWG
— Chris Fedor (@ChrisFedor) January 28, 2023
This season, the Cavs look the best that they have looked since LeBron James left the franchise back in 2018. Though they are not a perfect team, they look every part a playoff team, and their position in the Eastern Conference standings proves that.
The Cavs currently sit at the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference and are just three games back from the No. 2 seed. While the season has been great so far, all of the real goals for this young and talented team lay ahead of it. A playoff spot is not yet locked up and assured, and a deep playoff run is definitely the ultimate goal.
That is surely why the Cavs front office seems determined to land a nice wing piece. Both starting guard positions, as well as the starting power forward and center positions are totally locked up. The only starting spot that has remained something of a mystery is the small forward position.
If the Cavs were to acquire Hart, it isn’t a sure thing that he would start, but he would almost certainly get an opportunity to grab that role.
So far this season, Hart has started in all 46 of his appearances for the Trail Blazers. He’s putting up really balanced numbers, posting averages of 9.3 points, 8.1 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. He is also logging 1.1 steals per contest.
He’s been quite efficient shooting the ball as well, hitting 50.2 percent of his field goals and 33.0 percent of his 3-pointers.
As the deadline approaches, it will be worth it to keep an eye on Hart, though only time will tell if he ends up with the Wine and Gold for the rest of the current campaign.
