The Cleveland Cavaliers are looking like one of the teams that will be active this winter in trades around the NBA and rumors say that guard Dion Waiters is going to get moved soon after his issues with point guard Kyrie Irving and some of the teams that could be interested include the Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers with names like Spencer Hawes, Evan Turner or Thaddeus Young.
Waiters is a very talented player and a former top 10 pick, but after having some issues with Irving as well as Tristan Thompson, management seems content to move him to keep the problems at bay and it appears that he is receptive to that. According to Pro Basketball Talk, Waiters is open to moving to the Sixers or another team, as he feels that he would be the most talented player in Philly and with names like Evan Turner and Thaddeus Young on the roster, they could get moved as well. The Bulls are another interesting option, as they are on the cusp of a rebuild with Derrick Rose out for the season and Luol Deng looking like he will leave as a free agent.
The Sixers have long been considered a team that plans on dealing at the deadline and names like Spencer Hawes, Evan Turner or Thaddeus Young all could be fits for Cleveland. The team could replace Waiters with Young or Turner easily and Hawes is one of the best young players at his position. Turner has been having a very solid season while averaging over 20 points per game and that may make it easier for the Sixers to eventually trade him. ESPN.com reported earlier in the year that GM Sam Hinkie would be open to getting in on trades with other teams and with Omer Asik deal coming as well, the Sixers may get down on that.
Asik looks like he is ended up on the Boston Celtics, but the way that deal is shaping up, a third or fourth team could get involved and that could mean a Rockets, Celtics, Sixers and Cavaliers swap to help make the money work and it also could help get Waiters out of town. The Bulls could be motivated to make a move to try and salvage the season without Derrick Rose and Chicago and Philly are looking like the most favorable destinations for him.
The eastern conference is wide open this season and while the Cavaliers feel they can get into the postseason, things have not started off too great and the issues involving Waiters and Irving have not helped either. The Cavaliers feel that moving Waiters is the best option and while he said that the reports on them getting into a fight were overblown, sources said that Waiters has been upset with the favorable treatment Irving gets and the fact that Irving and Tristan Thompson do not pass to him even when he is open and that they have some issues with him. The team is just 9-15 this season and they are playing the Bucks on Friday night before a back to back against the Chicago Bulls.