3 Cleveland Cavaliers questions following Jordan Clarkson trade

3. Will the starting lineup change?

The Cleveland Cavaliers have a few changes they could make to their starting lineup. This recent trade may have opened up a path to make some adjustments.

As of now, the Cavaliers starting lineup consists of Darius Garland, Collin Sexton, Cedi Osman, Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson. This five has had brief moments of success, but lacks consistency and doesn’t appear to be a long-term solution for Cleveland.

Garland is likely the only starter who is safe in his role. The No. 5 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft is still too young and promising to have his position with the team altered in any major way.

For the rest of the Cavaliers, change is imminent. The two veterans, Love and Thompson, will have their names shopped around the league in potential trades for the remainder of the season.

Meanwhile, Sexton and Osman have yet to prove they can be reliable starters. Sexton, in particular, seems as if a sixth-man role will be the best for him moving forward as he has shown solid scoring ability, but is a poor/unwilling playmaker.

Furthermore, having Sexton start alongside Garland hasn’t been as effective as the Cavaliers hoped. These two undersized guards don’t mesh well together defensively and the team has found more success when staggering them.

The Cavaliers should be looking to add Kevin Porter Jr. into the starting lineup. Porter has shown the most potential of any player on the roster. An athletic guard with two-way ability, Porter deserves an increased role.