The Cleveland Cavaliers continue to struggle to find a level of excellence this season. They were a stellar club that led the East in wins last season; now, they're struggling to string together a winning streak. Something has to change. Not everyone agrees with that idea, with some detractors of that theory citing the team's lack of consistent time together as a reason to disagree. Pointing out that injuries, like that to Max Strus, who remains out due to a Jones fracture in his foot, have caused much of the disarray, and that a healthy Cavs team could be just as impressive as last season's club.
That may be true for the core group, but certain guys like DeAndre Hunter and Lonzo Ball remain issues for the team, issues or not. Ball remains one of the bigger issues, having been acquired for Isaac Okoro and proving to be a huge negative offensively. He's shooting just 30.4% from the floor, scoring just 5.0 points per game. He does still have a positive +/- at +1.4, but that's not even half of what he posted in the 2024-2025 season with the Chicago Bulls, where his +/- for the season was +2.9.
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The man the Cavs traded Ball for, Isaac Okoro, posted a +4.6 last season with the Cavs. So the expectations for Ball to match or exceed Okoro's impact were very high. Ball, for whatever reason, has yet to actually impact the team the way they had hoped he would. Now, rumors abound that the Cavs may be open to trading the former second-overall draft pick out of the 2017 NBA Draft.
According to Chris Fedor (via CavsNation), the Cavs remain open to trading Ball, with his contract being very attractive to some clubs. Ball has a contract worth $10 million for this season, and has a club option for next season. The Cavs could flip his deal for a player of similar financial value but with a longer deal, allowing the club that acquires Ball the option to void the final year on the deal and get out from underneath it.
However, with how well young players like Jaylon Tyson and Craig Porter are playing, the Cavs could look to move on from Ball and maybe even Hunter, in order to get under the second apron of the luxury cap. With how well Darius Garland has been playing as of late and how impactful Jarrett Allen has been, the Cavs could easily find their groove in the second half of the season without blowing up the roster.
They could also find some cap flexibility by getting out of the respective contracts of Ball and Hunter. However, it won't be easy.
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