The Cavs are going after another Brooklyn Net forward.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are in the market for a wing. Specifically, one that can play both the three and four. Dorian Finney-Smith of the Brooklyn Nets is the latest rumored player who fits that mold.
ESPN’s Zach Lowe has reported that the Cavs “have interest” in trading for Finney-Smith. This was backed up by Michael Scotto of HoopsHype who mentioned that Cleveland and the Philadelphia 76ers are pursuing Finney-Smith.
Finney-Smith, 31, is a 6’7” forward who can play both small forward and power forward. He has two years and $30.3 million remaining on his current contract. The final year of the deal is a player option.
Finney-Smith averaged 8.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.6 assists on .421/.348/.717 shooting splits in 68 games for Brooklyn last season. He’s garnered a reputation of being a three-and-D wing, but the outside shot hasn’t been as lethal recently. Finney-Smith has shot slightly below league average from distance the past two campaigns. The three-ball has been his primary source of offense as nearly two-thirds of his shot attempts come from beyond the arc.
The Cavs need more playable wing options. Finney-Smith is someone who would immediately be in the eight-man rotation. However, he isn’t the missing piece that unlocks this core. At least, not at this point in his career.
Whether or not Finney-Smith is worth pursuing depends on what the asking price is. The Cavs seem willing to include Isaac Okoro in a sign-and-trade. That said, moving Okoro for just Finney-Smith would likely be a downgrade in the short term and would most definitely be one in the long run even if it’s a cleaner fit. A packaged deal that allows Cleveland to grab Cam Johnson as well would be preferable, but the Cavs likely don’t have the assets to grab both considering the only first they can currently trade is in 2031.
The free agent market isn’t good. There’s also the implications that a move like that could have as the Cavs continue to inch closer to the luxury tax and first apron. A trade would be the easiest way to avoid those issues, but the Cavs have few future assets that can be moved.
Koby Altman and company desperately need to find better fitting depth pieces if they play on keeping the core four together. Finney-Smith would be a step in the right direction, but he alone isn’t solving the issues in a way that maybe the best version of Johnson could.
