Cavaliers Trade Rumors: Top Reports Surrounding Cleveland Before 2018 Deadline
There is clearly plenty of uncertainty associated with the Cleveland Cavaliers, both on and off of the court.
After a bumpy 6-9 January followed by a 120-88 thrashing at home Saturday from the Houston Rockets, the Cavaliers currently sit in third in the Eastern Conference and 7.5 games behind top-seeded Boston.
Off of the court, it seems drastic changes are coming apart from LeBron James entering the final year of his contract. Judging by the latest reports, roster overhaul could take place as soon as the 2018 NBA trade deadline on Feb. 8.
So who could Cleveland possibly bringing in to make another playoff run, and who could be on the way out?
Jordan Pursuit Fading?
With the Los Angeles Clippers seemingly abandoning ship on any immediate championship hopes and dumping off top assets, DeAndre Jordan's name has been frequently mentioned in the latest rumors. The Cavaliers have been connected to the ultra-athletic big man, but there appears to be some significant discord in trade talks.
According to USA TODAY's Sam Amick and Jeff Zillgitt, the Cavaliers are apparently trying to pry Jordan by only offering their own first-round pick in addition to bad contracts like J.R. Smith and Tristan Thompson. Unsurprisingly, Los Angeles is not seriously contemplating this offer.
Considering Jordan's credentials, there is no reason for the Clippers to trade him just for the sake of it.
The 29-year-old has developed into one of the top down-low presences in the NBA. Jordan has averaged at least 10.4 points, 13.6 rebounds, and nearly two blocks per game in each of the past five seasons. Twice he has led the NBA in rebounding while taking the field goal percentage crown each campaign from 2012-13 to 2016-17. The 2017 All-Star also gets after it defensively, having twice been named to the All-Defensive team.
His contract could damage his trade value a bit, since he is set to make nearly $47 million for this season and the next. At such a large figure but short timespan, contending teams like the Cavaliers must figure out if it is worth it to deal long-term assets for what could be a quick but expensive fix.
This is why it makes sense that Cleveland is trying to sell the Clippers on the idea of taking a low first-round pick as opposed the Brooklyn Nets pick the Cavaliers also own. Taking on a player like Jordan who may only be around for a year and a half in exchange for a probable lottery pick is not ideal, especially if James splits.
As of now, it appears there is no way this trade can happen unless the Brooklyn pick is included. The Cavaliers have virtually no younger players of any value to send to Los Angeles, and there is no way the Clippers would take on a bad contract in a rebuild just for a late first-round selection, let alone two bad salaries.
Unless the Cavaliers feel Jordan is undoubtedly the piece that can deliver a championship, which is evidently not the case since the Brooklyn pick has yet to be included, then do not expect a deal between these two sides.
Unmovable?
As for Smith and Thompson, the latest word indicates the two may not be able to be shipped for any return at the moment.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski alluded to the pair being unmovable Monday on The Lowe Post podcast (h/t to Sporting News).
"They just don't have players that interest people," Wojnarowski said. "Tristan Thompson's contract and J.R. Smith, and some of the guys with the big numbers on their team are just not movable."
Wojnarowski definitely has a point with a roster that also features Jose Calderon, Channing Frye, Jeff Green, Kyle Korver and Derrick Rose among other older players. There is no reason for any team that is not a championship contender to want any of these players in a support role. Even if Cleveland could deal any of them, it's likely to only garner a long-shot prospect or a late pick.
Smith is still due $14.7 million next season with a team option of 15.6 the following season, which makes him pretty undesirable as a 32-year-old whose main contribution is being a volume shooter. Despite averaging the second-most minutes a night on the Cavaliers, Smith is only averaging 7.9 points thanks to a 37.5 shooting percentage.
At only 26 years old, Thompson is still in the prime of his career, but unfortunately he has become a pretty limited role player in today's up-tempo, spaced out NBA.
Playing only 20 minutes per night this season, Thompson is scoring 5.6 points to go with 5.9 rebounds. This seems fine for a marginal role player, but Thompson is set to make roughly $36 million over the next two seasons, giving him one of the NBA's most overpaid deals.
No team, contending or not, will want that contract. Again, this comes down to Cleveland having to surrender draft picks to shed salary, which is counterproductive given the age of its roster.
The future does not appear to be too bright for the Cavaliers, especially if it does not include James. The best option may be just to eat these contracts and hope to hit on high draft picks, of which there may be plenty in the next few seasons.
That may mean dealing some of the few actual commodities Cleveland has like Kevin Love or Isaiah Thomas to bring in those draft picks. This may need to happen to offset some of the damage of the "unmovable" contracts the team has racked up. The time for a drastic rebuild could be in the near future for the Cavaliers.
Statistics are courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com. Contract information is courtesy of Spotrac.com.
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