The Cavs have been great, but there’s always room to be better.
We’re fully in NBA trade season as seen by the seismic moves seen this past week. The Cleveland Cavaliers likely won’t be trying to make a splash as big as the Los Angeles Lakers, but there are moves out there that can be made to make the Cavs better.
According to head coach Kenny Atkinson, the Cavs would be “not smart” if they didn’t consider all the possibilities before the trade deadline on Thursday.
“You have to listen to everything out there,” Atkinson said before Tuesday’s game against the Boston Celtics. “You’d be really not smart if you didn’t listen and talk about how you can get better. It’s just the business we’re in.”
The Cavs do have a good thing going as evidenced by their league-leading 40 wins while having the best offensive rating in the league. Still, this isn’t a perfect roster. The Cavs could use additional reinforcements on the wing. Preferably someone who could play the three or the four. Right now, only Dean Wade fits that role and he’s injured.
Atkinson wasn’t asked Tuesday what position needs an upgrade, but he did talk about the importance of being able to play one or two bigs in the playoffs depending on the matchup.
“Every series is different,” Atkinson said when asked about why playing two bigs like Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen is apparently en vogue. “It might be a playoff series for not two bigs, but playing smaller. So [having two bigs] just gives you more versatility.”
Right now, the Cavs can’t comfortably do that without Wade at 100% which has been a reoccurring concern for Wade throughout his career.
Ideally, finding someone who could do that in addition to Wade, like Cam Johnson or De’Andre Hunter, would be ideal for this team. But, there is always a concern about fit when you’re bringing someone new into a team this successful at this point of the season.
“I’ve seen smooth transitions and not so smooth [transitions],” Atkinson said about trades at this point in the season. “It’s a two-way street. It depends on the player. How willing they are to fit into the role and then obviously it’s the staff’s job to get the guy up to speed quick.”
For that to happen, they need to be a good match for the Cavs on and off the court.
“My one thing to Koby [Altman] is that we have great chemistry right now and a great kind of culture, great locker room culture, you know, that’s super important to me,” Atkinson said. “Continuity has really helped. …If it’s a trade, if it’s a buyout, it’s got to be the right fit.”