Under-the-Radar Cleveland Cavaliers Trade Targets That Would Matter in the Playoffs

The Cleveland Cavaliers started the party at the NBA trade deadline on Saturday night.

The Cavs flipped De’Andre Hunter to the Sacramento Kings in a three-team trade with the Chicago Bulls. In return, the Cavaliers received Keon Ellis and Dennis Schröder from the Kings.

Schröder and Ellis are prime examples of under the radar trade targets for the Cavaliers to improve their playoff situation. There will be plenty of pressure on the Cavs to find postseason success after failing to get further than the second round in the Donovan Mitchell era.

Here are three more moves the Cavs can make that could make a big difference for the postseason.

1. Trade Lonzo Ball

A bit of addition by subtraction to get the ball rolling – no pun intended.

Ball has wildly underwhelmed during his first season with the Cavaliers. The Cavs traded Isaac Okoro to the Bulls over the summer to land Ball. He’s having a career-worst shooting season and hasn’t made any difference on the court.

By adding Ellis and Schröder, the Cavs have a major backlog of backcourt depth. Trading Ball can ensure that both newly acquired guards can get minutes while continuing to develop Craig Porter Jr. and Tyrese Proctor. At some point, Max Strus will make his season debut for the Cavs after missing over half of the season with a fractured foot.

2. Bobby Portis, Milwaukee Bucks

All eyes are on the Milwaukee Bucks at the trade deadline, as they are listening to offers for superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Cavs president of basketball operations Koby Altman is an aggressive trader, and has probably enquired about Antetokounmpo. But would the Bucks, who are partially owned by Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam, really trade one of the NBA’s biggest superstars to Dan Gilbert’s Cavaliers?

It’s much more likely that the Cavs could involve themselves in a trade for Antetokounmpo as the third team. Even if Antetokounmpo doesn’t come to Cleveland, the Cavs can buy low on Bobby Portis, who was a key contributor to the Bucks’ title run in 2021.

3. Herb Jones, New Orleans Pelicans

The Cavs have not gotten much out of Larry Nance Jr. or Thomas Bryant, who were supposed to be the big offseason acquisitions to provide more depth in the frontcourt.

Perhaps the Cavs can use their surplus of guard depth to help Zion Williamson’s Pelicans by returning Jones, the 6-foot-7 forward that would be a nice, long upgrade – especially in a world without Hunter on the roster.