2 players Cavs must trade to take next step to NBA Finals after Knicks’ ECF sweep

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2 players Cavs must trade to take next step to NBA Finals after Knicks’ ECF sweep

Enzo Flojo, ClutchPoints · ClutchPoints

Tue, May 26, 2026 ·

5 min read

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The Cleveland Cavaliers spent most of the 2025-26 season looking like a franchise ready to break through the Eastern Conference ceiling. Instead, the season ended with an uncomfortable reality check delivered by the New York Knicks . Cleveland was systematically exposed by the Knicks. The four-game sweep highlighted flaws in roster construction and postseason versatility. Now, superstar Donovan Mitchell is firmly in his championship window, and the luxury tax is tightening around the organization. As such, the Cavs know that standing pat is no longer an option. If Cleveland truly wants to reach the NBA Finals, major sacrifices must be made this offseason.

Cleveland's deepest flaws

The sheer brutality of Game 4 made it easy to lose sight of the bigger picture. New York completed their 4-0 sweep with a merciless 130-93 demolition at Rocket Arena. The contest was essentially over before halftime entertainment even began. Mitchell desperately tried to keep the Cavs alive. He poured in 20 of his team-high 31 points during the first half. However, he received almost no consistent support. James Harden endured a nightmare performance, finishing with just 12 points on 2-of-8 shooting. He also committed five brutal turnovers that completely stalled Cleveland's offensive rhythm. Meanwhile, Karl-Anthony Towns and Landry Shamet sliced through Cleveland's exhausted defensive rotations with surgical precision.

The loss exposed a roster that lacks the flexibility, spacing, and defensive versatilit. Now come the painful decisions. Here are two players they should trade and one more to strongly consider.

Jarrett Allen

For years, the Cavs believed the Jarrett Allen-Evan Mobley pairing could anchor a championship-caliber defense. During the regular season, the numbers supported that theory. However, the Knicks completely dismantled the two-big experiment.

Towns weaponized his ability to operate as a point-center. He dragged Allen far away from the paint and exposed his limitations defending in space. Once Allen's rim protection was neutralized, Cleveland's entire defensive identity collapsed. Suddenly, Mitchell and James Harden were left vulnerable on the perimeter without an elite interior safety net.

Financially, the situation is even more problematic. Allen's new three-year, $90.7 million extension officially kicks in this summer. That means he and Mobley alone will account for over $78 million against the cap next season. Under the restrictive second-apron rules, paying a traditional non-shooting center $30 million annually becomes an inefficient luxury rather than a sustainable investment.

Cleveland's clearest pathway toward roster evolution is converting Allen's value into a high-level two-way wing defender. Trading Allen could finally give the Cavaliers the type of positional balance modern contenders require.

Max Strus

When the Cavaliers originally acquired Max Strus , his shooting was designed to complement Darius Garland and Mitchell. However, once Garland was traded for Harden, the roster equation fundamentally changed.

Now, Cleveland's offensive creation flows almost entirely through Mitchell and Harden. That has left Strus trapped in an awkward middle ground where his defensive shortcomings outweigh his offensive utility. The Knicks ruthlessly targeted him throughout the series. His Game 4 meltdown perfectly encapsulated the growing concern surrounding his fit.

At $16.6 million next season, Strus possesses one of the few tradable mid-tier contracts Cleveland can realistically move under second-apron restrictions. Strus essentially becomes one of the organization's only flexible trade chips.

He remains valuable to many teams because of his shooting gravity. However, the Cavs should aggressively explore turning his salary slot into a more switchable wing defender or versatile bench piece capable of surviving playoff matchups.

The Evan Mobley question

Now, here's the true wildcard hovering over Cleveland's offseason. It is Evan Mobley. Trading a 24-year-old former Defensive Player of the Year candidate sounds almost ridiculous on paper. However, the offensive stagnation has become increasingly difficult to ignore. Mobley's perimeter shooting regressed badly this season. He dropped below 30 percent from three-point range while his free-throw shooting cratered as well.

Against New York, the Knicks essentially ignored him offensively whenever he drifted outside the paint. That severely clogged driving lanes for Mitchell and Harden.

That does not mean Mobley should be traded immediately. Still, if a true MVP-level superstar suddenly becomes available — particularly someone like Giannis Antetokounmpo — Mobley is realistically the only asset capable of headlining such a blockbuster package.

The main point is that perhaps nobody should be entirely untouchable, at least outside of contract and salary cap constraints.

How about James Harden?

Of course, many frustrated fans will point toward Harden after his ugly Game 4 performance. The reality is far more complicated, though.

Harden is expected to decline his player option and negotiate a long-term extension with Cleveland this summer. Because the Cavs already sacrificed Garland to acquire him, immediately pivoting away from Harden would effectively mean admitting failure before the experiment even fully begins.

Logistically, moving Harden would also be extremely difficult under current cap rules. Cleveland is essentially committed to building around the Mitchell-Harden pairing for at least the foreseeable future.

That means the structural adjustments must happen elsewhere. Allen plus Strus are the clearest, most logical starting points.

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