3 Top Trade Targets Named for Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cleveland Cavaliers season ended with a thud. A disappointing second round loss in just five games to the Indiana Pacers after the Cavs reeled off a 64-win season for the top seed in the Eastern Conference.

The 'Core Four' of Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen likely aren't going anywhere. But changes will have to be made around the edges for the team to take another crack at it next season.

With that, we take a look at three realistic trade targets the Cavs should be shooting for this summer, as listed by Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report.

Jose Alvarado, New Orleans Pelicans

Yes, Ty Jerome had an unexpectedly sensational year as the backup point guard, averaging a career high 12.5 points with a stunning 44% mark from long distance. He finished third in NBA Sixth Man of the Year balloting. But, as Buckley notes, Jerome is a free agent, and "might have priced himself out of Cleveland's future."

So they'll need to look for another backup at the point, and Alvarado would be an excellent and cost-efficient addition. He averaged career highs with 10.5 points and 4.6 assists for the lowly New Orleans Pelicans this past season and will earn just $4.5 million for each of the next two years. He's already been named as a player that the Pels will likely not bring back for 2024-25. Elfrid Payton may be entrusted with the backup PG job there going forward after his resurgence this season.

Kelly Oubre Jr., Philadelphia 76ers

Oubre has completed two seasons in Philly, and has done well, averaging about 15 points per game with 5.5 boards. He has a player option for next season at just over $8 million. As Buckley notes, Cleveland has tried on a number of wings looking for the right fit to put around their Big 4, from Isaac Okoro to Caris LeVert (now departed) to the newly-acquired De'Andre Hunter. But Oubre "could provide a different look at a position where Cleveland clearly keeps trying to find the right formula," he writes.

Duop Reath, Portland Trail Blazers

For some depth at the pivot, the 6-foot-11 Reath showed some promise in 2023-24 when he averaged 9.0 ppg in about 18 minutes a night with Portland. His floor time was nearly cut in half for the past season, so it won't cost a lot to pry him loose from the Pacific Northwest.

"The Cavaliers need better big-man options off the bench," writes Buckley, but "Cleveland doesn't need to cover a lot of non-Allen, non-Mobley minutes on the interior, and considering its firepower, it would have at least a decent chance to outscore opponents with Reath operating as a floor-spacing 5."