What should Cleveland do with Andrew Bynum? The center has been suspended for conduct detrimental to the team. He was then upgraded to paid leave. Now, Cleveland is desperately looking for a trade partner before a January 7 deadline where Bynum is owed the other half of his guaranteed salary. After negotiations with the Los Angeles Lakers stalled out, who is next?
According to Roy Hibbert, the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Clippers are in play to sign the center. The Indiana Pacers star tweeted out that the two teams have expressed the desire to strike a deal for Bynum. Does Hibbert have NBA trade sources? Hibbert is known to be a jokester on Twitter, so take his statement with a grain of salt.
One thing Hibbert does has right, the Cavaliers are growing desperate to trade the center in hopes of getting rid of that guaranteed money of upwards of $12 million. Any team that gets the center could release him by the deadline and essentially save plenty of money for the future. Bynum is an easy trade because of that, but teams are still hesitant.
Recently, NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar spoke out against Bynum and questioned whether or not he had the heart to even play anymore. Bynum was a star with the Los Angeles Lakers, helping them win two championships. He was then traded to the Philadelphia 76ers where he sat out an entire season. He signed with the Cavaliers and has been relatively productive, averaging 8.4 points and 5.3 rebounds in 20 minutes of play at game.
According to ESPN.com, the Miami Heat are not interested in Bynum despite what Hibbert might believe. The team has a filled roster, so someone owuld have to be released to get Bynum. The team already signed to front-court projects in Greg Oden and Michael Beasley. NBA sources say they are committed to developing those two players over signing someone new.
The Clippers are suffering from some depth up front, essentially relying heavily on DeAndre Jordan. Getting Bynum could really help the team put together a strong run for the playoffs. He would be an excellent backup option for 20 minutes a night.
The final option for Bynum could be the Celtics if they can put together a quality trade package. Bleacher Report makes the argument that players like Brandon Bass and Kris Humphries could be swapped for Bynum. Courtney Lee could also be a player given up. Bass would of course be the major player in this deal. He has started 29 of 31 games, putting up 11.1 points and 6.2 rebounds. Cleveland's rotation would be much stronger.
The worse-case scenario is that Bynum is simply cut. Everything rests on how desperate the team is to get rid of the center. A trade is certainly the priority and several clubs might try and force Cleveland's hand.