Suns' Royce O'Neale Named Cavaliers' Ambitious Offseason Trade Target

Phoenix Suns wing Royce O'Neale has been named the Cleveland Cavaliers' ambitious offseason trade target by Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report.  

O'Neale and Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell are close friends. They played together on the Utah Jazz.

"O'Neale is probably an upgrade over the grab-bag mix of small forwards Cleveland tried this past season," Hughes wrote. "He's become a reliable 40.0 percent three-point shooter and can still defend multiple positions in a starting role. At the moment, the Cavs don't have someone who can tick both of those boxes as well as he can."

For the Suns this season, O'Neale averaged 9.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game while shooting 42.1% from the field, 40.8% from beyond the arc and 71.1% from the free-throw line. He's one of the top 3-point shooters in the NBA.

O'Neale has two years left on his contract. He'll make $10,875,000 next season and $11,625,000 during the 2027-28 season. The veteran doesn't have a no-trade clause in his contract. 

The Cavaliers made the conference finals this season for the first time since 2018. However, they got swept by the New York Knicks. 

Cleveland is expected to bring its core of Mitchell, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen and James Harden back. Adding O'Neale to the mix could help the Cavaliers reach the NBA Finals next year since he's a strong 3-and-D player and already knows how to play with Mitchell. 

Starting on July 7, Mitchell can sign an extension with the Cavaliers that adds four years and $277 million to his current deal. Adding four seasons would require Mitchell to decline his player option for the 2027-28 season.

Next season is Mitchell's 10th in the NBA. If the former Jazz guard waits until next summer for a new contract, the Cavaliers can sign him to a five-year, roughly $352 million deal.

It will be fascinating to see what happens between Mitchell and the Cavaliers this offseason. Is Mitchell going to agree to an extension with a team that just got swept in the East Finals and went 8-10 in the playoffs overall? Are the Cavaliers comfortable paying Mitchell this massive sum of money if they aren't sure if he can be a true No. 1 option on a championship team? These are the questions that Mitchell and the Cavaliers will be thinking about this summer.

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