Report: Rival officials believe Cavs’ interest in Cam Johnson is ‘more serious’ than just due diligence

The Cleveland Cavaliers have done more than enough to catch the attention of the NBA world this season, maintaining a 70-win pace with nearly half of their schedule in the rearview.

Given their success, the Cavs may want to be careful about shaking up their roster too much, but they do seem to have considerable interest in Brooklyn Nets forward Cam Johnson, based on a report.

“Executives from three franchises told The Athletic that Cleveland has expressed interest in acquiring 6-foot-8 forward Cam Johnson from the Brooklyn Nets — one of the most coveted players league-wide in the trade market — with the Feb. 6 NBA trade deadline fast approaching,” wrote The Athletic’s Joe Vardon.

“League sources with knowledge of Cleveland’s internal discussions say Johnson has been discussed as a potential target and say the franchise has done its due diligence in inquiring about the availability of Johnson. Rival team officials, however, believe the Cavs’ interest to be more serious than that.”

Johnson is enjoying perhaps the best season of his NBA career, but he’s doing it for a Nets team that is struggling. With the 28-year-old under contract through the 2026-27 season on a reasonable deal, a wide variety of teams would probably love to have him.

In 33 games this season, Johnson is averaging 19.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game while shooting 49.9 percent from the field and 42.8 percent from beyond the arc.

If the Cavs can make a push for the forward without having to put any of their top players on the table, it may be a trade worth pursuing.

Johnson is listed at 6-foot-8. Cleveland has a smaller starting backcourt (led by guards Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell) and a bigger starting frontcourt (led by bigs Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen). Johnson’s size would likely be a nice touch for the Cavs.

Cleveland is 34-6 this season and on track to earn the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. But even if the Cavs do enter the playoffs as the top seed, there is a good chance they will encounter some major challenges in the postseason in teams like the Boston Celtics. They may feel like Johnson (or a similar player) would help them go to war against some of the NBA’s top teams.

The Cavs just lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder in blowout fashion, an unfamiliar feeling for Cleveland this season. The team will look to bounce back on Saturday against the Minnesota Timberwolves.