Cam Johnson headlines Cavs' potential trade scenarios to improve title chances

01/02/2025 05:32 PM

With JB Bickerstaff walking out the door and Kenny Atkinson joining the Cleveland Cavaliers, there were a lot of unknowns surrounding this organization. Well, here we are in 2025 with the Cavs sitting at the very top of the NBA standings with a 29-4 record. Cleveland is a true title contender this season, and Atkinson has turned each player on this roster into the best version of themselves. As the trade deadline nears, the Cavs have a chance to be one of the more intriguing teams with their ability to improve.

Cleveland is currently operating as an over-the-cap team that will be paying luxury taxes this season, but they are not restricted by the first or second apron. Even with Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen owning large contracts, the Cavs still can search the trade market for a potential upgrade on the wing. This is an area that executive Koby Altman and the Cavs’ front office have been taking a look at for quite some time.

Although they have no reason to tinker with their roster since they’ve only lost four games this season, could the Cavaliers truly go all-in and make a move that solidifies them as the team to beat in the Eastern Conference over the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, and others?

Here are a few hypothetical trades that could solidify the Cavs’ championship-contending status, starting with Cam Johnson.

Cam Johnson joins Cavs

Cleveland Cavaliers receive: F Cam Johnson, C Day’Ron Sharpe

Brooklyn Nets receive: G/F Caris LeVert, F Isaac Okoro, G Jaylon Tyson, MIL 2025 2nd round pick (via CLE), DEN 2027 2nd round pick (via CLE), CLE 2031 1st round pick (Unprotected)

Out of any player that could be traded between now and the Feb. 6 trade deadline, Johnson is the one generating the most buzz. Several Western Conference contenders have been targeting Johnson for quite some time, and the Cavs are a team that has held interest in the Brooklyn Nets forward dating back to last season.

Between his scoring abilities on the perimeter and length as a defender, Johnson checks off the boxes for being the type of two-way weapon Cleveland would be intrigued by heading toward the trade deadline. Whether or not the Nets look to move Johnson is the key question everyone around the NBA is asking, as the 28-year-old still has two more years left on his contract after this season.

Not to mention, any team looking to trade for Johnson has to be cognizant of the fact that he has $4.5 million worth of incentive clauses in his contract, meaning his cap hit of $22.5 million is truly a $27 million apron salary. A team like Cleveland wouldn’t have to worry about this that much, although adding Johnson would likely result in a larger tax bill.

Whereas many teams near the top of the standings are strapped for cash in the sense of having the ability to move contracts, the Cavs have Caris LeVert, who is on an expiring $16.6 million contract. While there is nothing to suggest that Cleveland wants to move the 30-year-old veteran wing, LeVert’s contract is the only path to the Cavs potentially pulling off a trade for a talent like Johnson.

In 31 games with the Nets this season, Johnson has averaged 19.3 points and 4.2 rebounds per game while shooting 43.2 percent from three-point range. If you put this type of player on the wing next to Mitchell and Garland as a secondary scoring weapon, the Cavs become an even deadlier-looking offensive team than they’ve already proven to be this season. That is the reason why Cleveland should entertain the idea of pursuing Johnson.

This past offseason, the Cavs and Nets also held conversations about a potential sign-and-trade involving Isaac Okoro. Not only may the Nets still hold interest in the young defensive-minded wing, but bringing back LeVert in the final year of his contract gives the Nets a path to potentially flipping him for more assets.

The one question mark in this trade package is an unprotected 2031 first-round pick, as that’s a heavy ask. Then again, this is Cleveland’s only first-round pick they can trade at this time, so they would have to be willing to part ways with it in order to pursue Johnson.

Ultimately,Brooklyn would likely want more value than what the Cavs can offer them in this scenario.

Cleveland addresses need for two-way wing

Cleveland Cavaliers receive: G Grayson Allen, G Damion Lee

Washington Wizards receive: C Jusuf Nurkic, CLE 2025 2nd round pick, DEN 2026 2nd round pick (via PHX)

Phoenix Suns receive: C Jonas Valanciunas, F Isaac Okoro, F Dean Wade

After 32 games, the Phoenix Suns are 15-17 overall.

Although injuries have played a huge role in their recent struggles, it has become clear that this team featuring Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and Bradley Beal can’t get by in a crowded Western Conference by leaning solely on their three stars. The Suns have shown a level of interest in feeling out the trade market for their secondary guys like Jusuf Nurkic and Grayson Allen, which is why it shouldn’t come as surprise to see Phoenix make some sort of change ahead of the trade deadline.

At the same time, the Suns are limited by the second apron, meaning they are unable to aggregate salaries to acquire a player with a larger salary. The Suns could trade a player like Nurkic with someone else, but they wouldn’t be allowed to add a player making more than the big man’s $18.1 million salary. Could that lead to the Suns cutting down on their overall tax bill for the time being with other impactful secondary players?

Jonas Valanciunas is a player the Suns have done their research on from the Washington Wizards, and Okoro is a 23-year-old defensive wing who could present upside on the bench in Phoenix behind Booker and Durant. Prior to sustaining a shoulder injury, Okoro was averaging 49.2 percent from three-point range through 23 games, which should also pique the Suns’ interest.

While Okoro has been good for Cleveland when healthy, Allen is a two-way perimeter player that the Cavs have held interest in dating back to last season. Allen led the league in three-point shooting during the 2023-24 season, which makes him the perfect secondary guard to bring into games off the bench behind Mitchell and Garland.

This idea is a little bit more far-fetched than pursuing Johnson because it’s unlikely Phoenix would be willing to part ways with both Nurkic and Allen. The scenario presented here in the form of a three-team trade is nothing more than the Cavs looking to include themselves in any deal the Suns potentially make. If Allen is available in any scenario leading up to the trade deadline, expect Cleveland to inquire about his price.

Jerami Grant a trade option for Cavs?

Cleveland Cavaliers receive: F Jerami Grant, F/C Duop Reath

Portland Trail Blazers receive: G Tim Hardaway Jr., F Isaac Okoro, F Dean Wade, CLE 2025 2nd round pick, CLE 2027 2nd round pick, DET 2027 2nd round pick, CLE 2029 2nd round pick, DET 2029 2nd round pick

Detroit Pistons receive: G/F Caris LeVert

Another player the Cavs have long had eyes on is Portland Trail Blazers veteran Jerami Grant. Similar to how the Cavaliers would need to sacrifice LeVert and Okoro in a package for Johnson, they would need to do the same for Grant, who is making $29.7 million this season. Cleveland would also need to part ways with forward Dean Wade, who has been a key secondary player at times off the bench.

Are these players, along with three second-round picks, a fair price to pay for a two-way veteran of Grant’s caliber?

As of right now, Portland has not signaled whether or not they will be making Grant available before the trade deadline. Since they are rebuilding, one can assume that the Blazers will listen to all offers that come their way. However, when the Trail Blazers first acquired Grant in 2022, they did so at the expense of a 2025 first-round pick and two second-round picks. Since then, Grant agreed to a five-year, $160 million extension that runs through the 2027-28 season with a player option.

If the Blazers were to entertain the idea of trading Grant, they would undoubtedly want to do so with the intention of reacquiring draft assets they had originally sent out for him. Right now, the trade market for veteran players has been set at multiple second-round picks, as Dennis Schroder and Dorian Finney-Smith were both traded by the Nets for three second-round picks each.

The Cavs could follow a similar trend here for Grant and an impactful secondary big man like Duop Reath. From Portland’s point of view, this trade with the Cavs nets them three second-round picks, a young wing in Okoro, and LeVert as an intriguing veteran in the final year of his contract. The Blazers could then immediately flip LeVert to Detroit for two extra second-round picks and Tim Hardaway Jr., who is also on an expiring contract.

After Jaden Ivey suffered a broken leg on New Year’s Day, the Pistons could use extra help at the shooting guard position next to Cade Cunningham. LeVert has always thrived off the ball, and his contract aligns perfectly with Hardaway’s. For two second-round picks, this would be a worthwhile investment for the Pistons, who have plenty of second-round picks at their disposal.

What this scenario comes down to is whether or not the Cavs still hold interest in Grant. LeVert and Okoro are two key secondary players on Cleveland’s bench that help mold their chemistry in the second unit, so giving them up for Grant could be a risk the Cavs’ front office isn’t willing to take.

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