Cavs weighing deals as trade deadline approaches
cavs-keeping-phones-busy-ahead-of-trade-deadline
The Cleveland Cavaliers are actively working the phones with the NBA’s Feb. 5 trade deadline less than a week away, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.
Windhorst said on ESPN Cleveland that president of basketball operations Koby Altman and his front office have explored “multiple avenues,” ranging from ambitious, high-profile targets to smaller moves aimed at trimming payroll.
“I think there’s a decent chance the Cavs do something,” Windhorst noted, adding that team executives have discussed both a “home-run swing” and scenarios that would “shave off money.”
Any transaction is complicated by Cleveland’s financial position. The club is already above the league’s second tax apron, a status that restricts its flexibility to combine salaries or accept more money than it sends out. As a result, a substantial trade would require careful salary matching and likely a corresponding reduction in overall payroll.
Those limitations are part of ongoing internal evaluations, including conversations around Atlanta Hawks forward De’Andre Hunter, whose name has surfaced as the Cavaliers balance immediate competitiveness with long-term cap considerations.
Windhorst added that the organization has at least discussed every potential star made available, even while acknowledging that a blockbuster pursuit—such as hypothetically targeting Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo—would demand a major roster overhaul.
The Cavaliers enter Friday’s matchup in Phoenix at 29-20 after five straight wins, further complicating the decision of whether to disrupt a roster hitting its stride.
Regardless of the final outcome, Windhorst emphasized that Cleveland’s front office is “leaving no stone unturned,” indicating that standing pat would result only if a suitable deal fails to materialize before the deadline.
Source: Hoops Wire
