Cavaliers Rumors: Buzz on Ray Allen, Amar'e Stoudemire and More
The Cleveland Cavaliers are arguably the league’s most intriguing team at the All-Star break—and not just because LeBron James is trying to lead his original squad to the promised land for what would be his third championship ring.
The Cavs have already made season-altering trades and acquired the likes of Timofey Mozgov, J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert and shipped out Dion Waiters. The result has been 14 wins in the last 16 contests.
The question is now whether Cleveland will make any more moves before Thursday’s trade deadline, especially since the ones they made earlier have worked out thus far. With that in mind, read on for the latest rumors surrounding the Cavaliers.
Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal passed along an update on Cleveland’s potential pursuit of sharpshooter Ray Allen.
“The Cavs have been in contact with Ray Allen’s camp in recent days, but still no decision has been made on where (or even if) Allen will play this season," Lloyd writes. "It remains possible Allen has played his last NBA game.”
It is really no surprise that the Cavaliers were in contact with Allen considering they have been connected to James’ former teammate for much of the season. Allen and James reached the NBA mountaintop together as members of the Miami Heat, and adding veteran leadership like that to a team without much postseason experience outside of James could be beneficial down the stretch.
However, it is Allen’s ability to connect from deep and stretch the defense that has Cleveland (and other teams) particularly interested.
Considering the way opposing defenses collapse on James and Kyrie Irving when they drive the basket, Allen would likely get a handful of open three-point attempts every single game. The prospect of competing for another ring by hitting open jumpers off the bench has to at least be somewhat intriguing for Allen.
All the Cavaliers can do now is wait for a potential decision.
Amar’e Stoudemire
Frank Isola of the New York Daily News broke the news Sunday evening that Amar’e Stoudemire will no longer be a member of the New York Knicks, while Marc Stein of ESPN.com passed along a note on how that impacts the Cavaliers:
If the Dallas Mavericks truly are the favorite, this quote from superstar Dirk Nowitzki is certainly interesting, via Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio:
Stoudemire is a fascinating case study for the rest of the year, considering he was once a perennial All-Star in the league and is now someone who will likely be viewed as a mere contributor off the bench. It doesn’t appear like Cleveland will get involved in the sweepstakes, but Stoudemire would at least provide some additional depth down low.
He may not be the superstar he once was, but he is still averaging 12 points and 6.8 rebounds per game this season.
The Cavaliers don’t have much reliable depth on the blocks behind Mozgov and Tristan Thompson with Anderson Varejao injured and Kevin Love as someone who appears more comfortable on the perimeter than anything else this year. Perhaps they will reevaluate the roster and at least show a bit more interest in Stoudemire before he eventually signs somewhere.
Brendan Haywood
Speaking of the lack of interior depth on Cleveland’s roster, Lloyd passed along an update on Brendan Haywood.
"It’s apparent by now Brendan Haywood has nothing left," he writes. "At least the Cavs believe he’s done. But they need him around for his contract to use in trade either in the coming days or this summer. Haywood as an option on the floor, however, apparently no longer exists."
Well, at least Haywood will have a first-row seat to the NBA playoffs.
The fact that Haywood’s $10.5 million salary for next year is not guaranteed makes him a potential trade target for teams looking for salary relief in the near future. Ideally for Cleveland, it could find a team that is out of the postseason race with an eye toward a rebuilding effort that would benefit from having Haywood’s unique contract situation.
There are plenty of squads that are virtually eliminated from title contention as the Thursday trade deadline approaches. The Cavaliers will have to find the right one to unload Haywood on if they hope to eventually get rid of the backup big man.
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