Why This Trade Makes Sense For The Cleveland Cavaliers

While they have won four straight, the Cavaliers have lost 14 of their last 20 games, resulting in them being near the bottom of the standings in the Eastern Conference. Seeing as the East is very “top-heavy” this season, the Cavs are surprisingly only 3.5 games back from being in the playoff picture. 

With young talents in Collin Sexton and Darius Garland elevating their play this year, as well as newly acquired center Jarrett Allen turning into one of the better young frontcourt players in the league, there is a lot to like about this Cavaliers team moving forward, but they are not playoff bound just yet. 

This team is still a long ways away from being a threat in the Eastern Conference, which is why having the opportunity to add more young talent and more draft assets makes a lot of sense. Keeping JaVale McGee on this roster does not do much for the Cavaliers, as he plays a minimal role to begin with, which is why adding a former first-round pick in Jordan Poole could prove to be very beneficial. 

Besides Sexton, Garland, Allen and Okoro, everyone else on this roster is expendable and the Cavaliers are still searching for answers for who will be a part of this team moving forward. They are in a great position to continue growing as a young, hungry team, but it will take time until they turn themselves into legit threats in the East again, especially without LeBron James. 

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This is why acquiring Jordan Poole and a future second-round pick for JaVale McGee makes a lot of sense. Poole will have opportunities to prove himself and could end up turning into a key role player in the Cavs backcourt. 

McGee is in the final year of his contract and will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year anyways, which is why trading him now and at least getting some future value for him is worthwhile.