With a 14-22 record entering the All-Star break, the Cleveland Cavaliers are one of the clear-cut sellers ahead of the Mar. 25 NBA trade deadline. It’s no secret they’d like to move Andre Drummond and Kevin Love. But Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com has reported the Cavaliers have no “untouchables.”
They have no “untouchables.” Jarrett Allen and Collin Sexton are the two currently closest to that designation. Darius Garland, Isaac Okoro and Larry Nance Jr. are also viewed as core players.
“Unless something drastically changes over the next three weeks or Cleveland gets completely blown away by an offer it can’t refuse, don’t expect any of those five to go anywhere — even though calls keep coming and strong offers have been made for Nance, including one package with multiple late first-round picks.
Cleveland.com
Allen and Sexton aren’t just the closest to being untouchable on the team. They really are untouchable, unless the Cavaliers are absolutely blown away by an offer. Even then, it’s hard to tab what an offer like that would look like. There’s no way they’re giving up Allen, and Sexton has taken another step in his third season. Those two are building blocks, not tradeable assets. Darius Garland, Isaac Okoro and Larry Nance Jr. are secondary core players who aren’t necessarily likely to be traded.
The interesting “core” player that’s getting some interest is Nance. Strong offers are apparently coming in, including multiple first-round picks. If there’s eventually an offer GM Koby Altman just can’t refuse, Nance could be gone.
The Cavaliers have declared themselves open for business, which is nothing new. According to Fedor, Altman has made nearly 20 in-season trades since taking over as general manager in 2017. So it’s probably only a matter of who will be gone over the next two-plus weeks.