5 Trade Targets Who Can Help Solve Cleveland Cavaliers' Backup PG Problem

There aren't many holes on the 15-5 Cleveland Cavaliers, but finding a reliable backup to Kyrie Irving is certainly the biggest.

After losing Matthew Dellavedova to free agency and learning of Mo Williams' retirement just minutes before the start of media day, the Cavs have used a patchwork of players to try and fill the gaps behind their All-Star floor general.

"We felt Mo Williams was coming back, he said he was coming back to play, and then all of a sudden he didn't, so it kind of put us in a bind," head coach Tyronn Lue said, via Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com.

With natural shooting guards Iman Shumpert, Jordan McRae and DeAndre Liggins being asked to play out of position at times—and rookie Kay Felder probably not quite ready for big minutes—the trade market appears to be the Cavaliers' best bet.

"When we get a backup point guard, we can understand what our rotation's gonna be. We don't have to switch it on a night-to-night basis, so our team can get in a better flow," Lue said in Vardon's piece.

Cleveland only has limited assets available to parlay, so guys like Ricky Rubio and Brandon Knight are out of the picture. The Cavs do own a $9.6 million trade exception, meaning they wouldn't have to match up salaries. Young players like Shumpert (26 years old), Liggins (28), McRae (25) and Felder (21) could be dangled as well as future second-round draft picks in order to land a veteran guard.

Leandro Barbosa, Phoenix Suns

2016-17 Stats Per Game: 5.5 points, 1.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 12.6 minutes, 14.4 PER

Cavaliers fans know Leandro Barbosa all too well from his two years with the Golden State Warriors.

The 34-year-old can still turn on the burners and go coast to coast in the blink of an eye, leaving defenders in his wake.

Although he's not your traditional pass-first point guard, Barbosa could certainly help push the pace in the second unit and work to get easy buckets in transition. His 39.1 percent shooting from deep opens up driving lanes and is the highest Barbosa has shot in 10 years.

Barbosa has made his mark on a team with a young, talented backcourt of Eric Bledsoe (turned 27 years old on Friday), Devin Booker (20) and Knight (25). He's the only member of the four with a positive on/off rating (plus-8.1). Phoenix's defense has improved by 8.4 points per 100 possessions with Barbosa in the game as well.

Having played behind two of the best point guards in NBA history (Steve Nash and Steph Curry), Barbosa would bring plenty of experience and burst to the Cavs' bench.

J.J. Barea, Dallas Mavericks

2016-17 Stats Per Game: 16.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 33.1 minutes, 17.6 PER

Dallas is an NBA-worst 4-17 as they've been ravaged by injuries. They should become sellers with a few attractive pieces for the Cavaliers to kick the tires on. 

J.J. Barea has been one of the lone brights spots on the Mavericks this season, putting up career highs in minutes, points, rebounds, steals and player efficiency at age 32.

The bad news? If the Cavaliers want him, they'll have to wait a few more weeks. Barea is nursing a strained left calf muscle that could sideline him into January.

"He's doing extremely well, considering his situation," Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle said, via Eddie Sefko of SportsDay. "But it's still weeks away, not days. I think there's a possibility he could be back within a couple weeks. But it's just a maybe at this point."

Barea is second on the Mavs this season in scoring behind Harrison Barnes (20.4 points per game) and falls behind only Deron Williams in assists (6.5).

While it may take a few more weeks of patchwork point guard work as he mends, Barea would be worth the wait.

Marcelo Huertas, Los Angeles Lakers

2016-17 Stats Per Game: 2.3 points, 1.2 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 11.7 minutes, 7.7 PER

Marcelo Huertas is typically buried on a healthy Lakers squad, but the 33-year-old can still ball.

A pass-first point guard, Huertas would offer some of the same offensive aspects Dellavedova did. He can get into the lane and find the open shooter. While not as gritty as Delly, Huertas doesn't seem afraid to get his hands dirty on defense either.

As Bleacher Report's Dan Favale writes:

"

Marcelo Huertas is a quality target for a team bereft of tradable assets. The Los Angeles Lakers weren't playing him until Jose Calderon and D'Angelo Russell went down. With Russell on the mend, per the Los Angeles Times' Jesse Dougherty, Huertas will be expendable in due time.

"

While not a major threat to score the ball, Huertas is averaging 9.5 assists per 36 minutes this season. On a team where so many guys need their shots, he would be a willing distributor in the second unit.

Jameer Nelson, Denver Nuggets

2016-17 Stats Per Game: 9.7 points, 2.9 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 27.0 minutes, 11.0 PER

Losers of seven of their past 10 games, the Nuggets are slowly sinking to the bottom of the Western Conference and could become sellers soon. 

Now 34, Jameer Nelson is still playing at a high level and is posting his best three-point shooting (38.3 percent) since the 2010-11 season. His 4.6 assists lead all Denver players.

He's executed the role of good soldier on a Nuggets team that wasn't expected to make the playoffs, working with young point guard Emmanuel Mudiay (20 years old) and showcasing his leadership on a daily basis.

“You have to play different roles and wear different hats on the team,” Nelson said, via Terry Toohey of the Trentonian. “I have to continue to be who I am as a leader, who I am as a player and mentor as much as I can. One thing is I’m still on the court playing, trying to help us win.”

Nelson would find life much easier on the Cavs, becoming another strong voice in a locker room full of veterans. He could handle all the minutes Lue would offer as a multitalented offensive option behind Irving.

Deron Williams, Dallas Mavericks

2016-17 Stats Per Game: 11.9 points, 2.4 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 29.0 minutes, 12.7 PER

The highest profile target on this list, Williams has gone from one of the best point guards in the NBA to a borderline starter. His shooting has plummeted the past few years. The lift in those 32-year-old legs isn't what it once was.

While the days of playing 30-plus minutes in a starting role are probably behind him, Williams would be an excellent reserve in Cleveland. He brings a toughness, maturity and passion for the game the Cavs could definitely use behind Irving.

Williams is on an expiring $9 million deal that could be absorbed by using a trade exception acquired in the Anderson Varejao-Channing Frye swap last February. (There's also always the chance he gets bought out first as Dallas continues to sink.)

A three-time All-Star, Williams brings 72 games of playoff experience (all as a starter) with no ring to show for it. His hunger for a championship would serve as further motivation for a Cleveland repeat and add another lethal weapon to its offensive core.

Greg Swartz is the Cleveland Cavaliers Lead Writer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter: @CavsGregBR.

Stats via Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com and are accurate as of December 8. All quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.