Getty OG Anunoby #3 of the Toronto Raptors.
Credit the Cleveland Cavaliers for doing something they hadn’t done yet this century: build a team capable of making the playoffs without LeBron James. An excellent draft run (Darius Garland, Evan Mobley) paired with even smarter trades (Donovan Mitchell, Jarrett Allen) have turned the LeBron-less Cavs from a punchline to a legitimate playoff contender.
And while the weaknesses on this Cavs team are few and far between, one area that could use some help is the wing. With four roster spots nailed down, the Cavs have utilized a revolving door of players at the three: Caris LeVert, Isaac Okoro, Dean Wade, and Cedi Osman.
With no clear answers at the position, Tommy Wild of si.com suggested the Cavs target OG Anunoby of the Toronto Raptors.
“This would be a dream scenario, but it’s hard not to imagine how well OG Anunoby would fit on the Cavs. He’s exactly what a team looking for in a “3 and D” player while also being able to create his own shot,” Wild wrote last week.
Wild conceded that trading for Anunoby would require an emptying of the coffers for Cleveland, but that it “would all be worth it for a Cavs team that is ready to win now.”
Could the Cavs Pull Off an Anunoby Trade?
With the Raptors looking uncharacteristically lost this season, teams have been circling the Canadian team, ready to pounce in the event of a rebuild. And while the Cavs might make an excellent fit for Anunoby, Cleveland faces some stiff competition around the league.
“The entire league wants O.G. Anunoby,” NBA insider Zach Lowe said on his podcast, The Lowe Post. “Everybody wants O.G. Anunoby. If he ever gets traded, the price and picks are going to surprise people because it might be on par almost with what the Cavs gave up for Donovan Mitchell. It’s going to be a lot if it ever happens.”
As a reminder, the Cavs gave up a decent trade haul to bring Mitchell to Cleveland. The deal included Markkanen, Collin Sexton, rookie Ochai Agbaji, three unprotected first-round picks, and two swaps.
So we start with the obvious: Cleveland hardly has the draft capital to pull off an Anunoby trade if Toronto uses Mitchell’s deal as a benchmark.
And with Sexton, Markkanen, and Agbaji now in Jazz uniforms, the Cavs no longer have its more intriguing young assets. Salary matching wouldn’t be hard: Kevin Love’s expiring $28.9 million contract or Caris LeVert’s $18.8 million alone are enough to match Anunoby’s $18 million per season deal. The Raptors would have to take a flier on former lottery pick Isaac Okoro or the Cavs would likely have to part with one of its stars with such a lack of draft capital.
That, by itself, might be too steep a price for the Cavaliers to pay.
Cavs Hunting for Short-Term Help at Wing
Plus, a move for Anunoby doesn’t quite fit what the Cavaliers are looking for in a roster upgrade.
“League sources expect the Cavs to search the trade market for another short-term wing option,” Lowe wrote on December 30.
A short-term option works best for what the Cavaliers have now. So long as Cleveland doesn’t upset the apple cart too much, the team has the potential to make the conference finals, a feat that might have seemed unthinkable just two years ago.
NBA leaders in Matchup Difficulty (min 250 minutes):
1. Quentin Grimes
2. Dorian Finney-Smith
3. Jrue Holiday
4. Lu Dort
5. Jevon Carter
6. OG Anunoby
7. Herb Jones
8. Kevon Harris
9. Deni Avdija
10. Alex Caruso
These defenders guard the NBA’s elite most often.
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In terms of options, the Cavs could look to Matisse Thybulle of the Philadelphia 76ers, a wing who would surely keep the Cavs’ defense at the top of the league. Thybulle is hitting free agency this summer, as well, so the Cavs wouldn’t be locked into anything long-term.
Others, like Talen Horton-Tucker or Kelly Oubre would keep the defense and play on teams likely heading for a blow-up before the trade deadline.
But if the team wanted a scoring pop at the wing, which it has been missing, the Cavs could also target 31-year-old Alec Burks, who is well outside of the Piston’s age range but managing 126 points per 100 shot attempts. Ditto for Otto Porter, Anunoby’s Raptors teammate, who could find himself on the outside of a potential rebuild in Toronto.