The Cavaliers may be sitting on one of the league’s strongest rosters, but that hasn’t stopped them from being linked to one more swing before the summer runs out.
Cleveland was already in the mix for a major move after striking out on LeBron James, and the front office appears to be keeping its options open. According to Cleveland sports insider Nick Pedone, Kevin Durant is now on the Cavaliers’ radar as a potential late-summer target.
“The Cavs could be looking at higher-profile moves. Durant is probably the last big fish remaining this offseason,” wrote Pedone.
“The Cavs are deep enough where they’d be able to load-manage him. It’s the lone remaining move that would significantly improve their title chances.”
Durant would be a huge ask, even for a team with Cleveland’s ambition. At 37, he still put together a massive season, appearing in 78 games and averaging 26.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.9 blocks while shooting 52.0% from the field.
He remains a dangerous scorer from everywhere on the floor, and his perimeter shooting would give the Cavs another layer of spacing. Add in the fact that he’s a two-time NBA champion, and the appeal is obvious.
The Rockets, though, are not eager to move him. Still, the source material suggests they could be tempted by the right offer, and Cleveland would likely have to part with Jarrett Allen plus one or two future draft picks at minimum. That kind of deal would give Houston an All-Star-caliber piece in Allen, who could slot in as a defensive anchor next to Alperen Sengun.
From Cleveland’s perspective, the temptation is clear. The current core already looks formidable on paper, with Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen forming the backbone of a team that reached the Eastern Conference Finals last season before falling to the Knicks in four games. But the group has also taken its share of playoff hits, and that history is part of why a move like this even makes sense.
Durant would change the equation fast. Pairing him with Mitchell and Harden would give Cleveland a terrifying offensive trio, while Mobley would still anchor the other end. In the view laid out in the reporting, that kind of addition would push the Cavaliers’ ceiling higher and ease plenty of the postseason concerns that have followed them.
For now, it remains a long-shot idea rather than a likely transaction. But in an offseason that has already gone off the rails in plenty of ways, Cleveland is still leaving the door open for one more bold attempt before training camp arrives.
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