Lonzo Ball, Marcus Smart among Cavs targets before De’Andre Hunter trade
Before the Cleveland Cavs traded Caris LeVert, Georges Niang, and three second-round picks to the Atlanta Hawks for De’Andre Hunter, Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball and former Memphis Grizzlies guard Marcus Smart were two potential options. The Cavs landed De’Andre Hunter on NBA trade deadline day to strengthen their core before finishing the 2024-25 campaign. However, veteran guard Ball and Smart were considered.
Brooklyn Nets’ Cam Johnson also entered the conversation for the Cavs as they looked to striked a deal to address depth at the forward or guard position, per Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor.
“Cam Johnson was one of Cleveland’s top targets. But he was too expensive, with the Nets wanting at least multiple first rounders. Chicago’s Lonzo Ball was another — until the Bulls held on and signed him to a two-year contract extension,” Fedor reported. “There was also an internal conversation about tough, physical playoff-tested 2022 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart.
“Only that was a little riskier given Smart had just returned from a partial tear of his right index finger, and there wasn’t enough time to evaluate how healthy and effective he would be, not to mention his stylistic fit.”
As potential buyout candidate emerged in the coming weeks, Smart is expected to be one of them considering he’s in the third year of his four-year, $76.4 million contract.
