Cleveland Cavaliers Could Pursue This 'Dream' Target in Offseason Trade

The Cavaliers will have to pursue cost-effective targets this summer due to financial constraints.

Mar 21, 2023; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Dorian Finney-Smith (28) shoots the ball against Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley (4) during the second half at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports / Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Cavaliers don't exactly have a lot of financial flexibility this offseason, so they are going to have to get pretty innovative if they want to legitimately bolster their roster.

One way the Cavaliers can achieve that is by exploring trades, and Caleb Crowley of King James Gospel has identified what he considers a "dream" target for the squad: Brooklyn Nets forward Dorian Finney-Smith.

Finney-Smith drew considerable attention at the trade deadline, as rival clubs reportedly offered the Nets first-round draft picks for him. Brooklyn rebuffed those inquiries.

But now, with Finney-Smith having just one year of team control remaining on his contract (he has a player option for 2025-26), the Nets may be more motivated to get something done.

It would absolutely make sense for Brooklyn to move Finney-Smith. After all, he is 31 years old, and the Nets clearly aren't going to be contending anytime soon. Plus, if clubs were willing to part with first-rounders with him a few months ago, you would have to think that Finney-Smith would still hold similar value heading into the summer.

Finney-Smith played in 68 games and made 56 starts this past season, averaging 8.5 points and 4.7 rebounds over 28.4 minutes per game while shooting 42.1 percent from the floor, 34.8 percent from three-point range and 71.7 percent from the free-throw line.

Those aren't exactly eye-opening numbers, but Finney-Smith's true value lies in his defensive versatility. The University of Florida product can guard multiple positions, and he can do it very effectively.

Of course, one must wonder if Finney-Smith truly fills a requisite need for Cleveland.

The Cavs ranked sixth in defense during the 2023-24 campaign, so it's not like the Cavaliers are starving for help there. Not that you can ever have enough versatile defenders (the Boston Celtics just proved that), but Cleveland should actually probably focus more on the offensive side in the coming weeks and months.

Finney-Smith is a respectable perimeter shooting, knocking down 35.5 percent of his career triples, but for a Cavs team that ranked 19th in three-point percentage this year, that doesn't really solve one of its most prominent issues.

Given the price for Finney-Smith, the Cavaliers don't seem entirely likely to make a significant play for him.