Assessing each team as Dec. 15th expands trade scenarios

‘

Cleveland Cavaliers

Players now eligible: Lauri Markkanen, Kevin Pangos

JB Bickerstaff has this Cavaliers squad functioning at a pace even he has to be a bit surprised by.

That said, it’s important to remember this is a young club that is still a work in progress. Punctuating that point – – of the other seven teams who currently reside in home court seeds, the Cavaliers are 1-8 in games facing them. The lone victory was against the Bulls who didn’t have DeMar DeRozan or Alex Caruso in that match.

Arguably their most impressive wins came against the team they unseeded to take over the home-court berth (Heat).

With how well they’ve done this season, however, the front office might be inclined to expedite the process which wouldn’t necessarily be wise. Ricky Rubio and Kevin Love have been the perfect vets and fit with this roster.

Personally, I’d suggest letting them remain status quo at the deadline and get a taste of the postseason (because they are definitely good enough to get a home-court seed). Let Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen, and Darius Garland get their feet wet in the playoffs.

That will motivate them to improve in the offseason and also give the front office an idea of where the tweaks need to be made for the Cavs to improve. While the front office may covet further upgrades, again, Rubio and Love have proven to be excellent leaders both off the court and on it when calm is the most desirable game asset.

Cedi Osman could be moved to target a specific role player and if I’m Koby Altman I test the waters on what pairing the injured Collin Sexton with Osman or Lauri Markkanen offers in return.