NBA Teams That Should Pursue Trade for Cleveland Cavaliers' Dion Waiters
The No. 4 pick of the 2012 NBA draft, Cleveland Cavaliers shooting guard Dion Waiters has always possessed the talent to succeed. Given his rocky start this season with the new-look Cavs, however, his skills may be better utilized somewhere else.
Although Waiters has struggled for most of the season, he's flashed his potential as of late. Having just recently turned 23, Waiters is averaging 19.3 points and 3.3 assists on 52.3 percent shooting from the floor over the past three contests. Previously, he was only averaging 8.1 points and 1.9 assists on 36.7 percent shooting, however.
Waiters is an aggressive, pick-and-roll based guard who thrives at getting to the basket. Cleveland, also with LeBron James and Kyrie Irving, have an overabundance of ball-dominant players. The Cavaliers would be better-suited with a catch-and-shoot guard, or they could use Waiters as a means of acquiring defensive help.
Opposing teams should recognize that Waiters could thrive if given a starting opportunity, or at least a bigger role in an offense. After all, in 24 games as a starter with the Cavaliers last season, Waiters put up an impressive 18.3 points and 3.5 assists.
We've seen promising prospects get stuck behind star players before, only to blossom following a trade and increase in usage. Eric Bledose of the Phoenix Suns is a prime example, after he spent three seasons playing limited minutes behind Chris Paul for the Los Angeles Clippers.
It's unlikely Cleveland is openly shopping Waiters after his recent performances but as general manager David Griffin told Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group in November: "No one is untouchable, and you're never done building a team, so we're always paying attention to what opportunities are out there."
If Waiters is to be on the move, these are the five teams that could use his presence the most.
No. 5: Milwaukee Bucks
1 of 5
SG Depth: O.J. Mayo, Jared Dudley
Trade Ammunition: Mayo, John Henson, Larry Sanders
The Bucks are off to a surprising 11-12 start to the season after securing just 15 total victories last year.
Milwaukee's young talented core of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jabari Parker and Brandon Knight are a nice start, but the team could use another scoring option. After Knight, no Buck is averaging more than 12.5 points a night.
Mayo has been better than last season, but he still doesn't appear to be the answer at shooting guard. He's played just decent enough to warrant a trade, opening up a spot for Waiters opposite Knight.
Cleveland should be eying the Bucks' plethora of bigs, with Henson at the top of their wish list. Although averaging just 12.2 minutes a night for coach Jason Kidd off the bench, Henson is blocking 1.1 shots. That total would lead the Cavaliers, even considering Henson's lack of court time this season.
Overall, a nice swap of young talent to better fill team needs.
Possible Deal
Bucks Receive: SG Dion Waiters
Cavaliers Receive: F/C John Henson
No. 4: New York Knicks
2 of 5
SG Depth: Iman Shumpert, J.R. Smith, Tim Hardaway Jr.
Trade Ammunition: Shumpert, Hardaway Jr., Samuel Dalembert
Although not even Christmas, the Knicks should be looking ahead to next season.
New York is awful right now. As of Dec. 11, they stood at just 4-20 overall and had lost 10 straight games.
Even with Carmelo Anthony, the Knicks are 26th in scoring at 93.8 points per contest. They could definitely use another playmaker, someone to help carry the offense when Anthony needs a breather.
Waiters would take on this challenge, as he's more of a shot-creator than current guards Shumpert and Hardaway Jr., who rely on teammates to find them open looks. Either of the current Knicks would fit better with the Cavaliers, given Shumpert's defensive ability and Hardaway Jr.'s catch-and-shoot skills.
Dalembert will be a free agent this offseason and shouldn't be in New York's future plans. The Cavs could use his shot-blocking ability (2.8 blocks per 36 minutes) to help improve their interior defense.
Waiters would finally get the spotlight he's been seeking, and what better place than Madison Square Garden to break out?
Possible Deal
Knicks Receive: SG Dion Waiters
Cavaliers Receive: SG Tim Hardaway Jr., C Samuel Dalembert
No. 3: Sacramento Kings
3 of 5
SG Depth: Ben McLemore, Nik Stauskas
Trade Ammunition: McLemore
The Kings have plenty of scorers, so why pursue another one in Waiters?
While Sacramento has gotten strong play out of point guard Darren Collison (16.3 points, 6.3 assists), he's really the only true playmaker on the roster. The Kings are dead last in the league in assists, and they get just 1.8 dimes from the shooting guard position (also last), via HoopsStats.com.
DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay are tremendous scorers, but they need someone to get them the ball when Collison is out of the game. Waiters could slide into the starting lineup or be the team's sixth man. His drive-and-kick ability would fit in nicely alongside Sacramento's other offensive options.
In return, Cleveland should set their sights on McLemore, a proven outside shooter who doesn't need the ball in his hands to be effective. The second-year guard out of Kansas is averaging 11.1 points while shooting 40.0 percent from deep.
A straight-up swap would work here, one that helps fill needs for both teams.
Possible Deal
Kings Receive: SG Dion Waiters
Cavaliers Receive: SG Ben McLemore
No. 2: Brooklyn Nets
4 of 5
SG Depth: Joe Johnson, Bojan Bogdanovic
Trade Ammunition: Bogdanovic, Mason Plumlee, Brook Lopez
The Knicks aren't the only Big Apple team struggling this season.
While the Nets haven't plunged to Knick-like depths just yet, an 8-12 start has prompted trade rumors to pop up, according to Marc Stein and Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.com.
With Brooklyn looking to ship off high-priced veterans, Waiters could become their shooting guard of the future. The Nets simply need to get younger and collect more talent. Shaving off some payroll wouldn't hurt, either.
After a strong rookie season, Plumlee has been coach Lionel Hollins' third-string center at times. He's an extremely athletic big who can be molded into a defensive presence inside.
If Brooklyn won't play him on a regular basis, the Cavaliers certainly would.
Possible Deal
Nets Receive: SG Dion Waiters
Cavaliers Receive: F/C Mason Plumlee, G/F Alan Anderson
*Players substituted for Anderson to match up salaries prior to Dec. 15.
No. 1: Philadelphia 76ers
5 of 5
SG Depth: Tony Wroten, K.J. McDaniels, Hollis Thompson
Trade Ammunition: F/C Nerlens Noel, C Joel Embiid
The Sixers, by a wide-margin, represent the team that should be most interested in dealing for Waiters.
For starters, Philadelphia is dead last in scoring this season at 91.3 points per game. Waiters would instantly become the team's offensive leader, creating buckets for himself and others off the pick-and-roll.
Waiters and current Sixers point guard Michael Carter-Williams already have chemistry together. The pair were teammates at Syracuse during the 2011-12 season, helping guide the Orange to a 34-3 record.
Another big incentive for Philadelphia to deal for Waiters is his ties to the area. Waiters grew up in South Philly and would likely love a return to the city. Not only would Waiters improve the Sixers' dim present, but he'd likely want to stay for the long-term as well.
Cleveland should have their sights set squarely on Noel, the rim-protector they desperately need. Philadelphia would likely seek a pick in return as well.
The Sixers have no intention of winning now and can afford to part ways with Noel now that they have Embiid waiting in the wings.
Possible Deal
Sixers Receive: SG Dion Waiters, 2015 1st-Round Pick (Memphis Grizzlies, protected 1-5 and 15-30)
Cavaliers Receive: F/C Nerlens Noel
Greg Swartz has covered the Cleveland Cavaliers for Bleacher Report since 2010.
All stats provided by Basketball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.
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