The Eastern Conference underwent some major changes this offseason. While the Boston Celtics retained all of their talent from their championship roster, the New York Knicks made a trade for Mikal Bridges, and the Philadelphia 76ers made the biggest splash in NBA free agency by signing nine-time All-Star Paul George. Then there were the Orlando Magic adding Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and the Chicago Bulls taking a step back by trading Alex Caruso and DeMar DeRozan. Even with all of these moves, the two contending teams that have remained dormant this offseason are the Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers.
Temperatures in South Beach have been boiling this summer, yet the Heat have cooled off in terms of making big moves. Just one year removed from pursuing Damian Lillard on the trade block, Pat Riley and his front office were left with little room to maneuver any free agency or trade market addition. Caleb Martin left after agreeing to a $35 million contract with the Sixers, and the Heat didn't have any cap space to really replace him after acquiring Terry Rozier at the trade deadline last season.
However, the Heat did give Haywood Highsmith a new two-year, $10.8 million contract, so the expectation is that he will wind up taking over the role left behind by Martin.
The Cavaliers have had a quiet offseason in terms of making any changes to their roster. With Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, and Jarrett Allen all hearing their names in pointless trade rumors, Cleveland opted to run things back with Kenny Atkinson taking over for JB Bickerstaff on the sidelines. At the same time, Mitchell, Allen, and Mobley all got new extensions to remain in Cleveland long-term. This core is now under contract through at least the 2026-27 season.
Although the East is not as talented as the West when it comes to championship-contending franchises, this is still going to be a tough conference for teams like the Cavs and Heat. Neither team stacks up against the Celtics, and they may wind up being behind the 76ers and Knicks in the power rankings early on due to their inabilities to make moves this offseason.
With roughly a month until the start of training camps across the NBA, there is still an opportunity for the Cavaliers and Heat to make some sort of move on the trade market. The 2024-25 season is right around the corner, and here are a few hypothetical trade scenarios that could wind up shifting the balance of power in the East, especially for the Cavs and Heat.
Cavaliers add defensive wing in Blazers trade
Cavaliers receive: G/F Matisse Thybulle
Blazers receive: F Georges Niang, G Ty Jerome, MIL 2025 2nd Round Pick (via CLE), DEN 2027 2nd Round Pick (via CLE)
One of the main reasons why the Cavs were able to find so much success this past season, despite all of their injury concerns, was due to the fact that they ranked sixth in defensive rating. Even without JB Bickerstaff as their head coach, the Cavaliers are still going to be putting a point of emphasis on their ability to protect the paint, with Allen and Mobley being two elite-level rim protectors.
Since Isaac Okoro is still a free agent and his future is uncertain, why not seize this opportunity to buy low on one of the better defensive players in the league? Matisse Thybulle is oftentimes overlooked because he isn't the best offensive talent on the wing, yet he shot 34.6 percent from distance last season and has shown signs of an improved jumper.
The more important piece of information is that Thybulle isn't really being utilized with the Portland Trail Blazers. His minutes are only set to decline as well, with Shaedon Sharpe and Scoot Henderson's roles increasing. Deni Avdija's arrival also makes it difficult to imagine that Thybulle will hold a large role in Portland.
It seems like a matter of time before the Blazers look to move the 27-year-old, and he can still be a really valuable player in a secondary role off the bench for a contending team like the Cavs.
Whether or not Portland will be asking for a first-round pick like they have with other players over the last several months is the major question mark here. Thybulle, given his lack of production, shouldn't be viewed as an asset that can return a first-round pick right now. Then again, his defensive effort makes him an All-Defensive type of talent on the wing.
The Cavaliers shouldn't want to sacrifice a first-round pick for Thybulle, but giving up two future second-round picks and Georges Niang, who the team signed last summer, certainly presents a path to becoming one of the best defensive teams in the league. The difference between Niang and Thybulle is that the Cavs would be sacrificing three-point shooting on the bench in order to take a chance on Thybulle becoming a two-way player.
At this price, the investment would be worthwhile. Any addition assets that Portland would want instantly makes this trade a dealbreaker for Cleveland.
Cam Johnson heads to Orlando
Magic receive: F Cam Johnson
Nets receive: G Cole Anthony, F Jett Howard, DEN 2025 1st Round Pick (Top 5 protected)
Sean Marks and the Brooklyn Nets are heading in a new direction. Things with Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden ended shiftly, and the Nets were unable to find a superstar to pair with Mikal Bridges. As a result, the organization took advantage of Bridges' high value and traded him to the New York Knicks for a plethora of draft assets over the next several years.
The big question surrounding the Nets now revolves around Cam Johnson, who is a prolific three-point specialist that numerous teams have held interest in this offseason. The Cavaliers, Sacramento Kings, Toronto Raptors, Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers, and Golden State Warriors are a handful of the teams Johnson drew interest from over the course of the last few months, league sources told ClutchPoints. Of these teams, the Magic would be a very sneaky destination.
Even though Orlando won 47 games last season and took the Cavs to seven games in their first-round series, nobody is really paying attention to the Magic are real threats in the Eastern Conference. This narrative is going to change very soon, especially with the addition of a proven champion in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope this offseason.
The Magic as a whole find themselves in a spot where their championship window is cracked out slightly, and they need to take advantage of the opportunity that presents itself to them. There are also questions about which youthful options the organization is going to keep moving forward after giving Franz Wagner a massive contract extension.
Johnson is not a player that immediately makes the Magic the best team in the league, but he would supply them with a real three-point shooting threat that can aid this defensive-minded group on offense. After all, the Magic did rank only 22nd in offensive rating and 24th in three-point shooting last year. If there is one thing the Magic still need after adding Caldwell-Pope in free agency, it is another spot shooter who is confident in hunting his shot anywhere on the court.
Although the Nets have remained firm on their asking price of multiple draft picks for Johnson, Orlando could potentially swoop in and get him for less because Cole Anthony and Jett Howard are two young talents who could help push Brooklyn forward with their rebuild. Anthony has always been a very crafty facilitator and scoring weapon as a combo guard, and he would be the ideal type of guard to pair with Cam Thomas in Brooklyn.
As for Howard, he is a versatile wing who presents upside as a shooter and scorer off the dribble. The Magic hope that he will be able to step into a bigger role during the 2024-25 season, but why spend time developing Howard and hope he turns into something when you can go get a finished product that is ready to win like Johnson? Along with Anthony and Howard, the Nets would also be receiving a 2025 first-round pick by way of the Denver Nuggets in this trade.
If this trade was to happen, the Nets would own the rights to four first-round picks in the 2025 NBA Draft, which may feature several players with All-Star potential. For a team that is looking to rebuild quickly, adding two young first-round picks in Anthony and Howard, plus another 2025 first-round pick, instantly gives the Nets an arsenal of young assets to build themselves back into a threat.
Heat, Raptors, Jazz, Rockets pull off 4-team trade
Heat receive: G Jordan Clarkson, F Jae'Sean Tate
Jazz receive: G/F Bruce Brown, F Duncan Robinson, F Nikola Jovic, LAL 2026 2nd Round Pick (via MIA), TOR 2027 2nd Round Pick
Raptors receive: F John Collins, OKC/DAL/PHI 2026 2nd Round Pick (2nd least favorable, via HOU), 2027 MEM 2nd Round Pick (via HOU)
Related NewsArticle continues below
Rockets receive: F/C Kelly Olynyk
It always seems like there is at least one crazy trade proposal when going over hypothetical scenarios. Well, the NBA is a crazy world, so we might as well throw a wrench in all of these trade rumors!
What are the Utah Jazz planning? Lauri Markkanen wasn't traded this offseason and instead received a $238 million extension. This team is in no shape to contend for a playoff spot right now, and Danny Ainge has been active on the trade block dating back to this past season's trade deadline. John Collins, Collin Sexton, Jordan Clarkson, and Walker Kessler are all available… for the right price.
Moving from the Western Conference to the Eastern Conference, we could ask the same question about the Miami Heat and what moves Pat Riley has up his sleeves. The Heat are a first-apron tax team, meaning that they had no cap space this offseason and they can't make any trades unless they are receiving equal value monetarily to what they sent out. Although that complicates things for them being involved in trade talks, Miami still has a path to being able to pull off a move with Duncan Robinson's contract.
The Toronto Raptors are another intriguing team in the East when it comes to discussing potential trades that could be made because of Bruce Brown entering the final year of his contract. Brown was sort of an afterthought last season when he began the year with the Indiana Pacers before being traded to the Raptors. The 28-year-old swingman was an instrumental part of the Denver Nuggets' championship run in 2023.
Trades between two NBA teams are hard enough to figure out, let alone trades that involve numerous teams. What we have right here is a four-team trade that may just be crazy enough to actually work and benefit all parties.
If there is one thing the Jazz need next to Markkanen, it is stability and shooting depth. Robinson has always been a really strong catch-and-shoot option on the perimeter for the Heat, and Brown can help form a strong bond between Utah's first and second units. Not to mention, Brown can be a secondary playmaker and facilitator in the final year of his contract next to Sexton and second-year guard Keyonte George. The Jazz would also be getting Nikola Jovic in this trade — a young, 6'10” forward who could develop into the perfect complementary piece to pair with Markkanen long-term.
From the Heat's perspective, Jovic is a player they haven't shown much interest in giving up. But at the same time, it may be worth it to trade Jovic, Robinson, and a future second-round pick if that leads to Clarkson and Jae'Sean Tate finding their way to South Beach. Clarkson would immediately join a backcourt with Tyler Herro and Terry Rozier, which would form a very strong scoring trio for the Heat to play around with.
The idea behind adding Tate is that he is an athletic forward who, with the right guidance and training, could be a great two-way slasher on the wing and fill Caleb Martin's void. If there is one coaching staff in the NBA that could trade for any player and get them to fit in right away in any type of mold, it is Erik Spoelstra's Heat staff.
In Toronto, there is a clear need for frontcourt help. More specifically, the Raptors need an athletic forward who can run the court with Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett, and Immanuel Quickley. Collins is used to playing next to stars, and his rebounding abilities would fit in well next to Jakob Poeltl in the frontcourt. Those five players instantly create a path to the Raptors regaining relevance in the East.
Finally, the last moving part of this trade is Kelly Olynyk going back to the Houston Rockets, where he spent 27 games during the 2020-21 season. Given his abilities to stretch the court and make plays from the perimeter, Olynyk would be a nice change of style big man for the Rockets to have in a frontcourt that also houses Alperen Sengun and Steven Adams, two centers that primarily play in the paint. Not to mention, Ime Udoka always likes to have veterans who can put in work on both sides of the court, like Olynyk.
The money works for all four teams in this scenario, and each organization addresses a key need that they have entering training camp. If the Heat are to regain their championship status in the Eastern Conference, they will need to explore unique ways to leverage Robinson's contract like they do in this hypothetical four-team trade.
