Cleveland Cavaliers: 3 players most likely to be traded in 2018-19

3. Larry Nance Jr.

Let’s be honest — the Cavaliers are not contenders. They may make the playoffs, but don’t expect them to come anywhere near making a fifth straight Finals appearance. As a result, they could turn their attention toward acquiring draft assets and clearing the payroll of unruly contracts.

Don’t be misled, though. Larry Nance Jr. isn’t going to be shopped for the sake of acquiring assets. He’s proven himself to be a valuable piece of the roster in Cleveland, especially in a frontcourt that lacks any real depth. They didn’t acquire him from the Los Angeles Lakers last offseason just to toss him aside a year later.

However, moving him may be required to trade some of the Cavaliers’ other players. Maybe he’ll be tossed into the pot to move an overpriced contract. Or how about Cleveland throws him into the package to make the financials work, fetching a first round pick or promising prospect in the process?

His relative youth (25 years old) and cheap contract ($2.2 million in 2018-19) make him a valuable commodity in trade talks. The fact that he can actually make an impact on the court (and during All-Star weekend) will get his name thrown around in a number of trade discussions this season.

The Cavaliers may not want to move him, but Nance will certainly be have his name crop up in trade rumors between now and Feb. 7.