Cavaliers Given Critical Goal As Trade Deadline Approaches

Another veteran shooter could help the Cleveland Cavaliers on their impending playoff push.

Jan 20, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) dribbles around center Jarrett Allen (31) and Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) in the first quarter at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Cavaliers, as constructed, could easily go on and make a long playoff run this spring. This means their trade deadline could be fairly quiet as they prepare for the final push of the regular season.

However, the front office would be wise to at least consider upgrades at some of their

Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report gave every team a goal heading into the trade deadline. For the Cavaliers, he believes they must "prepare for a shooting regressing" and add a reliable NBA veteran to combat this.

"Cleveland is good enough to do nothing at the deadline. Its offense is the best in the league for reasons beyond elite perimeter shooting, and its defense, led by Mobley, often looks impenetrable," wrote Hughes.

"But if the Cavs are looking for upgrades that could soften the landing when their shooting comes back to earth, that could take the form of a defensive upgrade on the wing or a sniper with a longer track record of success than LeVert, Okoro, Mobley or Jerome."

Jan 24, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) in a game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Cleveland has been one of the NBA's best shooting teams all season. They're currently shooting 49.6 percent from the floor and 39.7 percent from behind the arc.

Donovan Mitchell (39.8%), Darius Garland (42.8%), Evan Mobley (42.1%), Caris LeVert (42.0%), and Isaac Okoro (39.7%) are all shooting career-bests from behind the arc.

It is reasonable to think that these percentages will eventually start to level off.

On the other hand, Kenny Atkinson has done a tremendous job creating high-percentage looks in Cleveland's offense, and some of the improvement could be due to the development of players such as Mobley and Okoro.

Adding another three-and-D player for a playoff run never hurts and would be a depth piece to have.

If Cleveland's shooting starts to regress, a potential addition could level this out. However, if the Cavaliers remain an elite shooting team, adding another piece would only make the Wine and Gold an even more dangerous team.