Cavs Urged to Go All-In for Playoff-Tested Upgrade Ahead of Trade Deadline

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Isaac Okoro #35 of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

An upgrade on the wing is the Cleveland Cavaliers‘ worst-kept secret desire ahead of this year’s trade deadline. With Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen, and Darius Garland all locked into the starting five, and a rotation that includes Ricky Rubio and Kevin Love as solid bench pieces, there’s really just one spot to pad Cleveland’s depth: wing.

So far, Isaac Okoro, Caris LeVert, and Cedi Osman have sought to cement themselves as the team’s go-to option on the wing. But none has managed to grab the position by the reigns quite yet.

And come playoff time, opposing teams will likely pick apart Cleveland’s shortcomings on the wing. It’s scary to imagine the Cavs stack up against, say, the Boston Celtics, who are loaded with elite wing options in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

With such a glaring need, it’s no surprise that Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report pegged Spurs wing Josh Richardson as an ideal wing upgrade for the Cavs.

“Bigger wings can give Richardson problems, but he’s generally a plucky defender,” Buckley wrote. “He also has 30 games of playoff experience, a three-ball that typically lands somewhere between above-average and good and a pinch of shot-creation.”

Richardson may not light up the stat sheet — he’s averaging 11.4 points and 3.3 assists per game with San Antonio this season — but Richardson only serves to add depth to a position of a real need for Cleveland.

Reddish Headed to Cavaliers?

Richardson isn’t the only name recently linked to the Cavaliers. According to insider Chris Haynes, the Cavaliers are also kicking the tires on Cam Reddish.

Haynes opened up to his co-host Marc Stein on their podcast #thisleague UNCUT this week and reported that Cleveland has a strong shot at landing the New York Knicks castaway.

“So two teams that I’ve heard tied to Cam Reddish, and one team in particular I gotta get your opinion on Stein, but…Cleveland is a team that I was told that has a really good shot at making this deal work, making it happen. The other team? Dallas,” Haynes noted.

Over his first four seasons, Reddish has largely failed to live up to the billing as a former top-ten pick. In 20 games with the Knicks this season, Reddish is averaging 8.4 points and 1.6 rebounds.

By moving for Reddish, the Cavaliers are essentially betting that the former blue-blood high school prospect’s elite potential still exists. But the Cavaliers would also be Reddish’s third team in four seasons, an ugly mark for any young player.