THE The Cleveland Cavaliers The Red Sox bet everything on the Donovan Mitchell trade. They went 99-65 in the two seasons since, including their first playoff victory without LeBron James in the 21st century.
Mitchell has played at an All-NBA level the last two years and is committed to the team as evidenced his recent contract extensionHe has a chance to be recognized as one of the greatest Cavaliers in history if he remains with the team throughout his contract.
The trade will be considered successful even though this core may be fatally flawed due to their poor fit. There will always be questions about whether the Cavs could have made the deal with anyone other than Lauri Markkanen. The original sin of including him in the deal may be too much to overcome.
On top of that, they’ll continue to feel the long-term cost of their all-in for the rest of the decade. They don’t have the resources to make drastic roster changes. Even using the mid-level exception was deemed a bridge too far this offseason given their lack of financial flexibility.
The moves they’ve made in the interim show that. The small adjustments on the margins have been fruitful, but the few changes they’ve had to make to significantly improve their bench and depth have not been fruitful. That’s left the Cavs with a roster with the same issues for the third straight season.
Here’s a look at the moves since the Mitchell trade.
Dean Wade extended, September 2022
Note: A
Re-signing Wade to a three-year, $18.5 million deal is the Cavs’ first and best move since the Mitchell trade. Wade, when he’s been on the court, has been extremely valuable to the team. The Cavs were 2.4 points better per 100 possessions with him on the field in 2022-23 and 6.7 points better last season. The problem was Wade’s lack of availability.
Kevin Love has waived his right to vote, February 2023
Note: F
The version of Love we saw in 2021-22 hasn’t returned. He’s converted just 33 percent of his shots since being released by the Cavs. Still, his veteran presence would have been incredibly valuable for a team that lacks frontcourt consistency outside of Jarrett Allen, Evan Mobley, and Wade (when healthy).
Love knows who he is as a player and does a great job of capitalizing on his declining skills. Love knows how to use his gravity as a three-point shooter to create open opportunities for his teammates. That, combined with his excellent rebounding and third-string play, would have allowed Love to continue to be a useful role player had he been able to stay in Cleveland.
Signed Danny Green, February 2023
Note: D
This version of Green wasn’t going to help the Cavs in any meaningful way in the playoffs. That said, it would have been nice if he was at least put in a position to perform at his best by getting significant reps with rotation players at the end of the season instead of being thrown in at the deep end during the playoffs.
Signed Sam Merrill, March 2023
Grade: A-
The Cavs made another low-risk move by signing Sam Merrill to a three-year deal that includes two non-guaranteed seasons. Merrill has provided quality depth minutes and should be a nice piece for Kenny Atkinson’s offense.
Emoni Bates was selected 49th overall, June 2023
Grade: C+
The jury is still out on whether Bates can be a rotation player. We probably won’t know the answer to that question for a few seasons. His shot is NBA ready, but the rest of his game is not.This is a low-risk transfer that has high upside potential depending on how next season goes.
Signed Craig Porter Jr., July 2023
Grade: A-
Getting rotation minutes from an undrafted rookie is a win in any context. There are questions about whether Porter can round out his game to become a long-term backup point guard. This trade is still worthwhile considering the cost, even if he can’t keep up with the next evolution as a player.
Traded for Max Strus, July 2023
Grade: C+
Strus has been a positive. He has proven himself to be a complete basketball player, capable of changing the course of a game when his outside shot is effective.
The criticism of this deal comes from the fact that the Cavs don’t have the flexibility to take risks like this in the near future. The Cavaliers need a little more from Strus than he can probably provide.
Signed Georges Niang, July 2023
Note: F
The Cavs needed to tap into their mid-level exception signings to make this core work. Giving a three-year, $25.5 million deal to someone who will be the fourth-best big is a huge mistake for a team that’s hovering near the luxury tax. This poor signing is part of the reason the Cavs didn’t use their mid-level exception this season and also why they desperately need to find more playable depth up front.
Signed Ty Jerome, July 2023
Note: To be determined
In theory, Jerome could have been a good backup point guard. But that never happened, as he was injured two games after joining the Cavs. We’ll see what Jerome can do next season.
Caris LeVert extended, July 2023
Note: C
LeVert was likely extended with the intention of eventually trading him. They can’t afford to let that salary slot go to waste given their salary cap situation. While talented, LeVert remains a imperfect fit in this team.
Acquisition of Damian Jones, July 2023
Grade: D-
It’s hard to find a third big on a team with two elite centers. Jones was brought in as a backup in case either Allen or Mobley got hurt. It wasn’t a role he could fill, and Thompson passed him over on the depth chart early in the season.
Signed Tristan Thompson, September 2023
Grade: B
Thompson played valuable playing time in the regular season and playoffs. He was by far the best center off the bench, which says more about the quality of the rest of the backups than it does about Thompson’s play.
Signed Marcus Morris, March 2024
Grade: B-
The Cavs failed to reach a deal at the trade deadline. Morris was able to provide acceptable playing time through the end of the regular season and into the playoffs. Like the Thompson signing, Morris’ usefulness speaks more to the Cavs’ lack of depth than it does to what Morris was able to bring.
Jaylon Tyson was selected 20th overall in June 2024
Note: To be determined
We’ll see how good Tyson is. Ideally, we’d like to bring in a late first-round pick slowly, but Cleveland may not have that luxury given the lack of depth they have at wing.
JT Thor Signs Two-Way Contract, August 2024
Grade: C+
Signing a playable forward without using his entire cap space is a smart move. Thor should provide some passable minutes if called upon, though there’s little reason to believe he has untapped potential given what he’s shown with the Charlotte Hornets in recent seasons.
Mitchell, Mobley and Allen, Expanded Edition, Summer 2024
Note: A
Keeping the core group together on fair contracts is a win. It locks in a great group while giving them the freedom to pivot whenever possible. this next trade deadline if necessary.
Overall rating
Grade: C-
The best moves from Koby Altman and the rest of the management since the Mitchell trade have been on the margins and keeping the core together. The signings of Wade, Merrill, and Porter are undeniable wins, but they don’t significantly increase this team’s ceiling. The extension of three of the four players is also a massive win. However, it’s not an improvement over what Cleveland started with in September 2022.
Management missed out on trades they couldn’t afford. The Strus trade was solid in its own right, but it’s more of a one-timer than a home run. Niang’s deal could look even worse as we head into years two and three and the Cavs haven’t yet figured out how to trade LeVert for a more suitable player.
The Mitchell trade put pressure on management. Especially after giving up Markkanen, who would have been the best player in the league for Mobley in the long run. Management had to be perfect with the few resources they had left to improve the ceiling of this core. That hasn’t been the case so far.
