The Cavaliers really like their current roster, but as is generally the case in the NBA, there is room to improve.
Multiple reports and Hoops Wire sources have said the Cavs are exploring ways to do exactly that before the Feb. 8 trade deadline. No surprise there — as president of basketball operations Koby Altman has always been a man who’s willing to pull the trigger on a deal.
Recently, we relayed that the Cavs are on the lookout for another 3-and-D wing type. We threw out a few names. Now, Marc Stein of The Stein Line has mentioned several more.
Per Stein, the Cavs have shown interest in Brooklyn Nets forward Royce O’Neale, a close friend of guard Donovan Mitchell from their days together with the Utah Jazz. Along with that, Stein reported that supposedly available Atlanta Hawks small forward De’Andre Hunter is another player to monitor in Cleveland.
“One veteran team executive read my Sunday piece that wondered aloud about the Cavaliers pursuing a trade for Brooklyn’s Royce O’Neale and relayed that Cleveland indeed has O’Neale on its list of targets,” Stein wrote.
“Atlanta’s De’Andre Hunter is said to be another name to watch in Cleveland’s ongoing search for a 3-and-D upgrade — although absorbing Hunter’s contract (which has three seasons and $70 million left on it after this season) makes him a challenging payroll fit (and, frankly, difficult for the Hawks to trade anywhere).”
That said, Altman has always managed to get creative and make trades work. So if the Cavs believe that Hunter can take them to another level, that you can be sure they will try to acquire him. We just don’t know that with any degree of certainty.
Cleveland very well could make another move, one source told Hoops Wire. But it would be surprising if it were a splash, the source added.
But hey, it never hurts to check the marketplace and see if there’s a splash to be had, right?
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