Cavaliers Fans Should Brace for Disappointing NBA Trade Deadline

Cleveland Cavaliers fans should be bracing themselves for a potentially uneventful NBA trade deadline.

Jan 24, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) looks on during the fourth quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

The NBA trade deadline is less than a week away, and the Cleveland Cavaliers will have some rather pressing decisions to make during that time.

Do they swing for the fences? Do they take a big risk? Do they make a small depth move? Or will they do nothing at all?

The latter two scenarios are probably the most likely outcomes for the Cavaliers, who don't have a ton of trade options and are in a rather precarious financial situation.

Cleveland is currently a shade over the luxury tax, which means that it will have to handle things very carefully heading into Feb. 6. That is, of course, unless the Cavs don't care about the tax, but it seems hard to believe that it isn't at least on Dan Gilbert's mind.

This makes completing trades rather complicated for a Cavaliers squad that currently owns the best record in the Eastern Conference and just placed three players into the All-Star Game.

Basically, Cleveland fans should already be bracing themselves for a quiet trade deadline.

Outside of Jaylon Tyson, the Cavs don't have any legitimately enticing trade assets. Caris LeVert has been floated as a potential trade chip, but would the Cavaliers really move LeVert, who has been so vital to their success thus far this season?

Cleveland seems very cognizant of its locker-room chemistry, and it doesn't want to mess with it. The Cavs have finally developed some continuity, which has been the driving force behind their meteoric rise during the 2024-25 campaign.

Could the Cavaliers afford to add another piece? Sure. They really do need another bench big, and they stand to bring in a player who can defend some of the longer wings that they may see in the playoffs, such as Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum.

The problem is that Cleveland may not have the means—whether in terms of assets or finances—to pull off a major trade.

What the Cavs may be able to do is swing a deal for someone who may be able to give them some spot minutes off the bench, and that's perfectly fine. That may be all the Cavaliers need.

But the odds of them acquiring a big name like Jimmy Butler are probably slim to none.

Fortunately, Cleveland has been good enough this year where it really doesn't require a shape-shifting trade to bolster its NBA title chances. But some Cavs fans may want to see their beloved squad make a major splash, and that probably isn't going to happen.