Cavaliers Must Still Complete Major Task Following Trade Deadline

The Cleveland Cavaliers did not sit on the sidelines this trade deadline. They made a significant move to acquire Atlanta Hawks forward De'Andre Hunter to fill a void the Wine and Gold have had for a few seasons.

However, Cleveland's front office isn't done with roster transactions; they can't be.

The two teams have yet to officially announce the Hunte trade, but once they do, the Cavaliers will have to make at least one or two more moves in the coming weeks and complete a massive task.

In their trade with Atlanta, the Cavaliers sent two players to the Hawks but received only one in return. Thus, their roster currently has only 13 players, one below the required 14.

Koby Altman has two weeks to fill the roster and several options for completing this task.

One option is to convert one of their three two-way players (Emoni Bates, Luke Travers, or Emoni Bates) to a full NBA deal. The other is to gauge the buyout market and sign an impending free agent to a deal.

The ladder would make the most sense for this Cavaliers team looking to win a championship this season.

Sep 14, 2022; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman speaks to the media during an introductory press conference at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images

But what type of player should the Cavaliers be looking to add to their roster, and what position should they be looking to add?

After Georges Niang's departure in the Hunter trade, Cleveland is incredibly thin in their frontcourt. When fully healthy, the Cavaliers have Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen, Dean Wade, and Tristan Thompson as players who could play at power forward or center.

This should motivate Cleveland's front office to fill this last roster spot with a big man who can contribute quality minutes when called upon. The player who is selected will depend on which players reach buyouts with their current teams.

While the trade deadline has passed, the Cavaliers remain one of the NBA's most intriguing teams to see if they add any impact veteran who could aid in a playoff run this spring.