Cavaliers, Kings Swing Big Trade in Shocking Proposal

Could the Cleveland Cavaliers and Sacramento Kings hook up for this massive trade?
Feb 5, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray (13) brings the ball up court in the second quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images
Feb 5, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray (13) brings the ball up court in the second quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images / David Richard-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Cavaliers don't appear to need a whole lot of help right now, as they boast the NBA's best record in mid-December.

However, during the offseason, many were clamoring for the Cavaliers to add a versatile defender who could guard some of the bigger wings in the Eastern Conference.

Cleveland has a smallish starting lineup, particularly in the backcourt, which sometimes leads to some ugly mismatches.

So, could the Cavs still peruse the trade market for a solution?

Josh Cornelissen of King James Gospel thinks so and has formulated a very interesting trade in which the Cavaliers would acquire young forward Keegan Murray from the Sacramento Kings.

In the deal, Cleveland would send Isaac Okoro, Ty Jerome and a future first-round pick back to Sacramento, which seems like a pretty cheap price to pay for a player who was taken with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.

"The Cleveland Cavaliers would be buying low on their small forward of the future," Cornelissen wrote. "Murray is only in his third season, although as an older rookie he is 24 years old, about eight months younger than Darius Garland. He would fit right into this team's timeline and be able to grow with them over the coming years."

Murray demonstrated significant promise over his first couple of seasons, although his production has tailed off considerably during the 2024-25 campaign.

The University of Iowa product is averaging just 12.2 points per game on 42.5/29.2/83.9 shooting splits this season, as the insertion of DeMar DeRozan into the Kings' starting lineup may have thrown Murray for a bi of a loop offensively.

Perhaps a change of scenery would be much-needed for the Cedar Rapids, Ia. native who is clearly still oozing with two-way potential.


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