Cleveland Cavaliers could steal Sacramento Kings' biggest trade target

One of the biggest pros for acquiring DeMar DeRozan (outside of adding a damn good player to your team) was that it gave the Sacramento Kings flexibility to make additional trades if they so pleased.

A name that has often been connected with the Kings since the DeRozan move (and honestly, even before that) is that of sharpshooting forward Cameron Johnson, who is likely on the trading block as the Brooklyn Nets are transitioning into a full-scale rebuild (signaled by their moving on from Mikal Bridges).

However, it looks like the Cleveland Cavaliers may be the ones who end up as winners of the Johnson sweepstakes. Here is what HoopsHype NBA Insider Michael Scotto had to say about it in a recent news dump:

""Several teams have expressed interest in executing a sign-and-trade with Cleveland for Okoro, which could potentially land him above the non-taxpayer mid-level exception annually, HoopsHype has learned. The Nets are among the teams considered a sign-and-trade possibility for Okoro, though nothing is considered imminent with Brooklyn, sources said. As previously reported by HoopsHype, Nets forward Dorian Finney-Smith has drawn trade interest from Cleveland and has come up in discussions for Okoro, sources said. Cleveland is also intrigued by Cam Johnson, according to reports. ""

- Michael Scotto, HoopsHype

According to Scotto, the Cavaliers may dangle Isaac Okoro as a sign-and-trade piece to acquire Johnson – who could be the player who fixes their lineup imbalances. As a 23-year-old who could be on an affordable deal (the Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level exception for next season is worth about 12.9 million dollars), Okoro may be a more enticing trade centerpiece than Kevin Huerter (the player the Kings would likely offer in a trade for Johnson).

Even if the Cavaliers end up trading for Dorian Finney-Smith, that's a tough blow for the Kings, as he is actually the Nets forward I prefer they try and trade for (because he's cheaper and a better defender). Regardless, if the Kings are serious about trying to get one of Johnson or Finney-Smith, they better get serious, because they've got some competition.