Does Tayshaun Prince Make Any Sense for Cleveland Cavaliers?

You probably haven't cared that much about Tayshaun Prince since his prime years with the Detroit Pistons back in the 2000s.

Beginning with his 2002-03 rookie campaign, that team made six consecutive appearances in the Eastern Conference Finals and claimed a title in 2004 before losing to the San Antonio Spurs in the 2005 NBA Finals. Though Prince's playing time, production and efficiency have receded since the Memphis Grizzlies acquired him in January 2013, he remains a capable role player with championship pedigree.

And the Cleveland Cavaliers haven't forgotten that, according to ESPN.com's Brian Windhorst:

The 34-year-old's role and minutes have been uneven this season. His performance may not be the only culprit, but head coach David Joerger's hands are somewhat tied by the need to deploy more offensively potent lineups. Thanks to Courtney Lee's improved play and this summer's addition of Vince Carter, he can do just that.

And while Prince still has defensive value, stopper-extraordinaire Tony Allen averages 25.8 minutes per contest on the wing. Prince has nice length and a fairly consistent mid-range jumper, but the reality is bleak at this point: He's competing for reserve minutes with the likes of Quincy Pondexter.

"It's not the minutes you play; it's what you can get done in the time you're out there and the opportunities you have," Prince told reporters in October. "Obviously, what I do on the floor, being versatile and defending multiple positions and doing things without scoring, requires minutes.

"But who knows what the minutes will be? It's just having more of a chance offensively would be the only thing I'd say that would be a different scenario."

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While those minutes have been few and far between so far, it's unclear that Prince would see significantly more action in Cleveland.

Through the nine games in which he's played this season, the 13th-year veteran is averaging 6.6 points and 2.7 rebounds in 21.2 minutes per contest. While he may see more regular action with the Cavaliers, it's hard to imagine those numbers increasing.

Cleveland already has a number of options on the wing, headlined by four-time MVP LeBron James and his 37.8 minutes per game. With guys such as Shawn Marion and Mike Miller already seeing time at the small forward spot, Prince would have to get in line. Insofar as he's a slightly less effective version of Marion himself at this point, Prince's addition would also be redundant.

Still, depth is a virtue, and one can theoretically understand any organization's interest in acquiring another experienced insurance policy for the bench.

Unfortunately, even if adding the Kentucky product did make sense for the Cavaliers, there may be some intractable logistical problems in the way.

As Pro Basketball Talk's Dan Feldman notes, "The Cavaliers' trade exception is not large enough to obtain Prince. It also can’t be aggregated with another player to make salaries match."

Short of a creative solution, that may make this conversation moot. Feldman notes that Cleveland could theoretically exchange Tristan Thompson for Prince, but there's no way that's happening, not with the 23-year-old Thompson still on the upswing of his career.

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One way or another, however, Prince could certainly be on the move. Now in the final year of his current contract, the remainder of the $7,707,865 he's owed isn't too much for potential suitors to stomach. And according to multiple accounts, the Grizzlies have entertained the possibility of moving Prince for some time.

Basketball Insiders' Alex Kennedy included him among a short list of players reportedly on the trade block in July. By October, Memphis Commercial Appeal's Ronald Tillery was reporting that, "Griz brass failed in several attempts to trade Prince this summer."

As we near February's trade deadline, it may become a bit easier to make something happen.

Contenders on the hunt for some extra intangibles could certainly do worse.

"He's a good friend and a great locker-room guy," Allen said of his teammate in October. "He's a class A-1 guy. He knows how things are supposed to be run. He's a champion."

That's the big selling point—for the Cavaliers or any other club kicking the tires.

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He may have only made 40.7 percent of his field-goal attempts a season ago (and 39.7 percent through this season's limited sample size), but he still does a lot of the glue-guy things that tend to define championship role players.

And given the opportunity to rediscover his comfort zone, minutes and production could follow suit.

"Last year, I was just in the position of spacing the floor. I've never done stuff like that," Prince told reporters during the preseason. "So I want to get back to ball-handling and creating and making plays. If I can get back to those things, it'll open up more opportunities for me, as opposed to just spacing the floor.

"I just have to be more of an offensive threat on the floor. I can't be an offensive threat just spacing out and waiting for jump shots. That's not really what I've done in this league before. I just want to be more creative."

Spoken like a guy who hasn't shot the ball especially well in two or three years.

In fairness, Prince probably still has use-value on the offensive end. He's an intelligent player who can cut to the basket and move without the ball. And though he's never been much of a point forward, he can make some plays, too.

If that's all one expects from him, Prince could be a smart under-the-radar addition for the right team—perhaps even the Cavaliers, at least if they can line up a viable deal.