No team has been tied to more trade rumors than the Cavaliers, and that figures to intensify after today’s performance. The defensive woes that have plagued the team all season were on full display in a 148-124 loss to the Thunder.
Cleveland has fallen to 27-18, and only two wins over the lowly Magic have saved the team from an eight-game losing streak. The Cavs are coming up on a critical week, with a trip to San Antonio Tuesday, followed by four straight games against Eastern Conference playoff contenders. Cleveland is just four games ahead of ninth-place Detroit in the loss column, and the possibilitties of losing home-court advantage in the first round or missing the playoffs entirely don’t seem so far fetched.
The most glaring problems are on defense, where a rim protector like DeAndre Jordan could make an immediate difference. Jordan has fallen to 1.0 blocks per game this season, but he has been among the NBA’s best shot blockers and rebounders for several years and would fill an obvious need in Cleveland. The 29-year-old can opt out this summer, which is why the Clippers are tempted to deal him.
But according to reports, L.A. will only consider the trade if Cleveland includes the unprotected Nets’ first-rounder it received from Boston in the Kyrie Irving deal. The Cavs have free agent concerns of their own with LeBron James not guaranteed to return and would like to keep the pick to help with a potential rebuilding project.
Brooklyn entered the day tied with Phoenix for seventh place in our Reverse Standings. For perspective, the seventh and eight players taken in last year’s draft were Lauri Markkanen and Frank Ntilikina. The Nets have plenty of room to move up or down, lodged three and a half games behind the Magic and Kings for the top spot, but only four games ahead of the 12th-place Knicks.
That brings us to our question for the night. Taking into consideration the fact that Brooklyn’s pick doesn’t guarantee a high lottery spot, plus the Cavaliers’ defensive problems and LeBron’s uncertain future in Cleveland, should GM Koby Altman be willing to part with the pick to obtain help now? Jump into the comments section below and give us your feedback.
Dwight and Kemba for Shumpert, Thompson, Frye, Brooklyn Pick
kemba, IT, D rose, d wade and JR smith???? ok.
D Rose doesn’t count. He could actually be cut off necessary. Wouldn’t know the difference.
Shumpert is injured. Tyron Lue said after last nights game (OKC loss) that injuries have contributed to the Cavs problems. When trades were mentioned, he said he doesn’t want to trade anyone, he wants to keep what he has. These people wanting to trade Kemba Walker aren’t from Charlotte. Charlotte says only way Kemba goes, Either Nicolas Batum, Marvin Williams, or Dwight Howard goes with him and they want a first pick in return. Nobody wants these players from Cavs. They don’t want Tristans 2 year contract, an injured Iman Shumpert, or guys that don’t play because they are bad like Frye. Dwayne Wade is reason LeBron would come back. He goes nowhere.
Kemba makes $12 Million. J.R. Smith alone makes more than that. To get Kemba it would take more like Kevin Love, Derrick Rose, and 1st pick for Kemba and Batum.
Add Michael-Kidd Gilchrist to list. If you want Kemba, one of these 4 is going with him.
I live in Charlotte Thomas
Then if you’ve been reading CBSsports, ESPN, Sports Illustrated, NBC Sports, Googling NBA trades, etc. you’d know Charlotte has specified they want to dump salaries with Kidd-Gilchrest, Williams, Howard or Batum. To get Kemba, you’ll have to take one of these, and Batum is out of the question. All major media says Kemba will be in Charlotte after the trade deadline.
The Cavs apparently got shot down in Derrick Favors trade because Thompson has 2 years remaining on his contract for over $16 million as a backup center averaging less than 10 points and rebounds a game as well as being injured.
Do not trade the Brooklyn pick!
It’s all that we will have left after LeBron leaves. Besides, there is no one even available that would put us on the same level as Golden State.
I’m in favor of standing pat. If anything, I would sell rather than buy.
LeBron is leaving us again. We need to acknowledge this as a franchise and begin our rebuild before we are left with nothing.
What I have been saying along, in addition it’s not like the warriors won’t be losing some people as well as there is no way in hell that they will be able to afford Thompson and green after paying Durant
They may lose him as well for all we know
Golden State has their new arena coming plus thy get extra money for winning championships. Steph, KD, and Thompson have lucrative endorsements so they don’t have to have the max.
Though I actually believe that the lebron will stay if we keep the pick
But like I have been saying one pick is at most two more years rebuilding, which isn’t as important as a potential championship.
You’d better talk to LeBron about that. He’s not basing his decision on what the media wants. He’s basing it on his wife, kids, agent, Dwayne Wade, Kevin Love, etc.
I think LeBron is like Paul George now. George is content to playing with Westbrook and Melo over a championship although he’d like to have one. Melo is happy now. George’s shooting percent is going up. Watch LeBron when he and wade play together.
The Brk pick is probably a personal need for the owner– a comeback if James leaves again. Looking at its application to a logical purpose probably misses the point. Gilbert is an active empire-builder who, as they say, has a brand of his own to support. The only really positive tradeable asset then is the Clev.#1.
Of course not. LeFraud is not going to stay so you need pieces to rebuild.
TRADE IT.
It’s a freaking #7 or #8 pick!
If LBJ is leaving, neither keeping the pick or dealing it for help is going to change his mind. He got his title in Cleveland, he has no need to stay.
Keep the pick, even at 7 or 8 it’s better than a potential rental of Jordan. Cavs have a whole bunch more issues than the one Jordan would fill, and they don’t have the additional assets to get everything they need to truly compete with the Warriors or Rockets.
LeBron won’t leave, and they won’t compete with the Warriors, Rockets, or OKC, and maybe not Boston or Toronto.
Dwayne Wade is 36 now, Lebron 32?. Only places they would want to be would be Cleveland or Miami.
Trade it….not going to be a top 3 pick anyway. Jordan is liability in playoff/4th quarter…can’t hit a free throw. Dwight….sell more peanuts @ the circuses! The way the owner treats coaches/GMs…the place is a dumpster fire. He will have to give LBJ a piece of the team to keep him. Extortion. He deserves to be held up.
What exactly has Gilbert done to deserve your comment? Please specify how he’s been bad to coaches and GMs?
Whispers around the NBA is that he is difficult to work for, he mishandled the GM situation with Griffin for sure but the Blatt firing was actually Forbes and Griffin convincing Gilbert that the players weren’t responding to blatt and so Gilbert had him removed.
Blatt was in a way fired for trying to call a timeout the Cavs didn’t have at the end of a Finals game and Tyron Lue had to out on the court and wrap his arms around him to restrain him. At times he seemed lost in the game. LeBron liked Griffin because he could tell him what to do. LeBron likes to play with vets, especially those he knows. Gilbert and LeBron have had problems. Gilberts reaction when LeBron went to Miami is widely known.
Any Cavs trade with Kings or Clippers would have to match salaries. Good luck!
They need quality youth badly. So if it meant getting a young piece( possible future all star),then yes.
Everybody except LeBron wants to. a rookie contract is cheaper than a veteran. LeBron is the reason for the age of the Cavs roster, he recruited them all. He’s not talking to new GM Kory Altman. That’s kind of a good thing.
Th cavs need a traditional center they’ Lacked ever since they won the chip in 2016. They also need to get rid of role players on bad contracts who aren’t producing. They need to part ways with that Brooklyn pick and their own. This trade I’ve proposed is very unlikely but makes sense for all teams involved. link to espn.com. The lakers will probably back out because of not getting a pick but the other teams go home happy
As a huge cavs fan, I would never ever even think about trading that Brooklyn pick even if Lebron ends up staying. The nets’ schedule only gets tougher from here and they might try to implement a slow jahlil okafor into a fast paced offense, which could result in losses. Even if they do end the season strongly, that pick is most likely going to be a top 10 pick. If Brooklyn ends up at the bottom of the league deandre ayton, Marvin bagley, and luka doncic would be great pieces in a championship in the event that Lebron stays (similar to what Jayson Tatum is doing in Boston). If Lebron leaves, they can easily start building around them. If that Brooklyn pick ends up being #8 or #9 you still have talented kids like Kevin Knox, Jaren Jackson, Mo Bamba, and since Michael Porter is injured he might slip up in the draft. They can all contribute right away or the cavs can start to build around them for the future. Just because you have the 9th pick in the draft doesn’t mean you’re going to get bad players, especially in this years draft. I believe this years draft is going to be on par with the 1996 and 2003 NBA drafts. And the cavs can easily trade shump, tristan, jr, frye, and their own first round pick to get George hill, Rodney hood, tyreke evens, Lou will, or even deandre Jordan to go after a championship right away. The only way I’d trade that Brooklyn pick is if I would be getting Anthony Davis in return, but I doubt the pelicans would trade him.
If it means getting DeAndre Jordan and Louis Williams, I would get rid of the pick. They can’t do any better in draft. All the mock trades I’m seeing have Tristan Thompson, J.R. Smith, or Channing Frye, and nte Zizic, and Cedi Osman as well, but no Iman Shumpert.
It may break a rule to trade an injured player.