After losing in the second round of the NBA playoffs this year, the Cleveland Cavaliers have big ambitions to raise their ceiling. According to NBA insider Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer, one potential move is the pursuit of 6x NBA All-Star, Jimmy Butler.
“One team that if they (Miami) were willing to trade Jimmy — I don’t know if they are — the one team I would pay attention to is the Cleveland Cavaliers. Because Rich Paul said if you give Donovan Mitchell an extension, then you know they probably want to get Darius Garland out of there.”
The situation with the Cavaliers is complicated at the moment. With four All-Star level players on the roster, they had higher expectations than to finish 4th in the East this season. But after getting easily handled by the Boston Celtics in the East-Semis, talks about a potential trade began to heat up.
Specifically, the Cavaliers are expected to break up their backcourt with one of Mitchell or Garland likely on the way out. In the case of Mitchell, 27, teams like the Knicks and Lakers would seemingly be the most aggressive.
For Garland, we know that the Spurs have expressed heavy interest in the 6’1″ point guard but the Heat could make sense as an older team in desperate need of a re-tool. If they offer Jimmy Butler in the deal, it could completely reshuffle the hierarchy in the East, with the Cavaliers potentially somewhere near the top.
Butler, a 6x All-Star, averaged 20.8 points per game for the Heat this season, and his talents as a defender, shotmaker, and locker-room leader make him an ideal fit for the Cavaliers. In truth, I’m not sure Butler is even available right now but he’s one of the top targets for the Cavs and various other teams this offseason.
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