Cleveland Cavaliers Rumors: Buying or Selling Gossip Ahead of 2015 NBA Draft
After an exhilarating NBA Finals run that fell just short, the Cleveland Cavaliers must quickly turn around and tweak their roster to gear up for a 2015-16 title pursuit.
Most of the team's core should be back for another year at the top of the Eastern Conference food chain. Only a few roster adjustments will be made, and the draft is a critical vehicle to do the remodeling.
The Cavs hold the No. 24 and No. 53 picks in the NBA draft this year, so what can we expect them to accomplish? Who are their most realistic targets, and will they make a draft-related trade?
To gain a clearer picture of their attack, let's play a little "buy or sell" with some rumors and scenarios.
The Cavs Will Trade Brendan Haywood and the No. 24 Pick
Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com recently reported Cleveland is shopping big man Brendan Haywood and the No. 24 pick in hopes of landing a playmaker.
LeBron and Co. are in win-now mode, so dealing the expendable Haywood and a draft asset could land them a useful player who can contribute to a title run. Griffin explained the Cavaliers' methodology behind this trade pursuit to Windhorst:
"The one thing that we did see in Golden State, and it was something that was very difficult for us to deal with, is they have an incredibly versatile team of multiple facilitating playmakers. That's something we're going to continue to work upon. The more playmaking facilitators you have that know how to play the game, the better off you are, and I think you saw the value of that in the team that ultimately did win.
"
This approach and attempt makes sense, especially when you consider Cleveland's want for NBA-ready depth. It could work because Haywood's $10.5 million salary for 2015-16 is non-guaranteed. In other words, his contract is not guaranteed if the trade partner waives him by Aug. 2, so it's an attractive option if that team wants to free up some salary space.
While it would be great if the Cavs could pull this off, it's going to be extremely difficult for them to find a willing collaborator.
As Zach Lowe of Grantland.com explains, it may be tough to find a club that's comfortable giving up a quality rotational player in exchange for a late-first round pick and cap room. Lowe indicated Cleveland hasn't received strong interest.
"The market for that package has been cool so far, sources say," Lowe reports. "A team could waive Haywood and gain $10 million of instant cap space to use in free agency, but there aren’t a lot of teams who need cap relief so urgently that they’d flip a quality rotation guy to get it."
It makes sense for the Cavs to shop Haywood because they already have Timofey Mozgov and Anderson Varejao locked in. But as Lowe mentions, there aren't that many teams with long-term salary issues, and most of the bad contracts teams would love to unload are big men.
So although it's possible for Cleveland to meet this goal—especially if it finds a third dance partner—we'll lean towards selling this Haywood trade.
Buy or Sell: Sell
The Cavs Will Draft A Wing/Forward in the First Round
Cleveland can use depth in several areas, including at the wing and forward spots. There's no guarantee guys like Iman Shumpert (restricted free agent) or James Jones (unrestricted) will be a part of the squad's long-term outlook. The Cavs could always use a shooter or scorer to help supplement LeBron's exploits.
Their late-first round options include quality options like Georgia State sharpshooter R.J. Hunter and Virginia's three-and-D wing Justin Anderson.
Both players would bring strong fundamentals, shooting prowess and superb basketball IQ to the Cavs. Several mock drafters project Cleveland to take one of these wings. Both Sam Vecenie and Zach Harper of CBSSports.com predict Griffin will tab Anderson at No. 24, while Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders sees Cleveland plucking Hunter.
These aren't bad choices, and it wouldn't be a bad route for Cleveland to take. However, the Cavs are armed with a rotational shooter they're trying to groom, as Sam Amico of Fox Sports notes:
"The Cavs already possess a young perimeter-marksman type in second-year guard Joe Harris," said Amico. "The Cavs really like him and I suspect his role will only increase next season."
Adding a shooter would give the squad extra depth, but a player like Hunter or Anderson wouldn't be a significant upgrade over what they currently have.
If Cleveland needs to replace both Jones and J.R. Smith, there's a strong possibility they'd select a shooter. But otherwise, the Cavs could take a more practical path with their No. 24 pick. As such, we'll opt to sell them drafting a wing.
Buy or Sell: Sell
The Cavs Will Draft A Point Guard in the First Round
As initially brilliant as Matthew Dellavedova was during the NBA Finals in the place of Kyrie Irving, the Cavaliers could look to enhance their backcourt rotation by acquiring a playmaker.
Dellavedova is an unrestricted free agent this summer, and even if he does return, there are a couple of valuable guards who could be valuable long-term bench upgrades over the Australian hero.
One option who could give the Cavs some two-way electricity behind Irving is Louisville point guard Terry Rozier.
He's more of a combo guard than a true point (averaged 3.6 assists in college), but he's a dangerous playmaker. Rozier is shifty off the bounce, and although he's just 6'2" in shoes, he owns a 6'8" wingspan that enables him to wreak havoc on both ends of the floor.
B/R Draft expert Jonathan Wasserman projected Rozier to land in Cleveland in his latest mock draft. He explained why the speedy sophomore would be a great fit on this veteran roster:
"...Rozier is explosive in the open floor and a constant threat to attack a defense off the dribble...He's also tough as nails on defense and rebounds very well for the position. The Cavs would ultimately be a great fit for Rozier, who'd be able to play to his strengths and away from his weaknesses as a facilitator."
ESPN.com's Chad Ford also views Rozier as the club's ideal pick, noting the youngster's upside, athleticism and ability to play on or off the ball.
Another point guard Ford and others have linked to Cleveland is Utah senior Delon Wright. Like Rozier, the 6'6" floor general is the kind of player Cleveland doesn't currently have in its backcourt holster.
While Rozier would give the Cavs bench an upgrade in the speed department, Wright offers an infusion of length and playmaking potential.
Whereas Dellavedova is more of a caretaker who can shoot and run the pick-and-roll, Wright can really get into the teeth of opposing defenses in addition to running the PNR. He used his craftiness and size to generate a truckload of production per 100 possessions last year: 27.9 points, 9.8 assists, 4.0 steals and 10.0 free-throw attempts. He has the instincts and tools to immediately contribute as a quarterback and defender.
If either Rozier or Wright is available at No. 24, expect Griffin to pull the trigger. This goes back to his comments about trying to build a more versatile array of playmakers in his arsenal.
Buy or Sell: Buy
Daniel O'Brien covers the NBA draft for Bleacher Report.
Follow him on Twitter: @DanielO_BR.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
