Cavaliers Named in Gargantuan Three-Team NBA Trade Proposal

The Cleveland Cavaliers would rock the NBA landscape if they completed this massive trade.

Nov 4, 2022; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley (4), guard Donovan Mitchell (center) and forward Dean Wade (32) cheer on their team in the second quarter against the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Allison Farrand-Imagn Images | Allison Farrand-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Cavaliers have already swung one major trade this offseason, acquiring Lonzo Ball in a deal with the Chicago Bulls. Do they have room for another?

Considering that the Cavaliers were just dealt yet another disappointing second-round playoff exit after winning 64 games, you would think they are absolutely still searching for ways to improve their roster for a championship run next year.

Ergo, Cleveland should still be in the market for trades, and Jackson Caudell and Rohan Raman of Hawks on SI have proposed a big one for the Cavs.

In a three-team deal involving the Cavaliers, Atlanta Hawks and Sacramento Kings, Cleveland would ship out De'Andre Hunter, Dean Wade and a 2031 unprotected first-round draft pick and land forward Keegan Murray in return. The Cavs would also complete a 2030 first-round pick swap with the Kings.

"This is the all-in move for Cleveland," Caudell and Raman wrote. "They want to make it to the NBA Finals and have a clear path to do so if they can step up in the postseason. Hunter was a solid acquisition for them at the trade deadline, but Murray is a big upgrade and could even develop further since he won't have to be the No. 1 defensive option on Cleveland. He would give them a lethal starting five that would be the best in the East. This also gets them under the second apron."

Murray has largely been a disappointment in Sacramento since being selected with the No. 4 overall pick back in 2022. After a strong showing during his rookie campaign, the 24-year-old has stagnated and is coming off of a rough 2024-25 season in which he averaged 12.4 points and 6.7 rebounds over 34.3 minutes per game on pedestrian 44.4/34.3/83.3 shooting splits.

To be fair, the University of Iowa product played much better during the second half of the year, but it was still not up to the standards that the Kings expected.

That being said, Murray does have a higher ceiling than Hunter and is certainly superior defensively, so this move probably would make the Cavs better. But would the Cavaliers really surrender an unprotected pick and an unprotected pick swap in the deal?