The Cleveland Cavaliers are looking to add at the trade deadline and they may use Dion Waiters or Tristan Thompson to do it, as they are hoping to get a big man or a wing defender for more LeBron James depth and support, with names like Corey Brewer, Timofey Mozgov and Kosta Koufos as potential targets for the Cavs this season.
The Cavaliers have been playing very well and they look like they finally have clicked recently after a slow start. That strong play may keep the team from breaking things up, but the bigger picture is in view for the Cavs. The team sees Waiters as a strong talent, but he has been up and down this season and if they plan on making any significant moves, he likely will have to be part of it. The Mozgov talk has died down since the Nuggets want to keep him, while Brewer has had interest from the Cavs and the Houston Rockets as well.
Marc Stein at ESPN.com wrote that David Griffin and the Cavaliers are deciding between going after a big man up front/rim protector player or a wing depth player as their major move for the season. The Cavs feel that they have a roster that can contend for a title, but they want one that can win a championship. Adding depth at either spot would help and Stein added that finding big men up front that can play strong defense is harder than adding to the wing.
Mozgov is on a team friendly contract and the Nuggets have liked his development, which is why they are not looking to deal for anything less than waiters or Thompson. Stein wrote this week that Koufos is the new name the Cavs are looking at, as the Grizzlies have not played him much and he is considered to be an underrated defender among scouts. The Cavaliers could look at making a deal there, but they may not want to break up the rhythm the team has found this month as they head into the New Year.
The Cavaliers defense has been their weakest unit this season and while they are now 10th in scoring defense, overall things are about more than points allowed. The team wants to get bigger inside and they would like to add some depth along with Shawn Marion, Mike Miller and James Jones on the bench. The team has plenty of options and they likely will be mentioned quite a bit at the trading deadline.
The Cavaliers have now won eight straight games and they are looking to keep things going against Kevin Durant and the Thunder. The team has turned things around from a slow start and now they are 13-7 after starting this streak at 5-07 after a loss to the Raptors. The team has won over Toronto twice since then and that has been big, as the Raptors have been one of the most impressive teams in the east to start this season. James scored 35 points and helped the Cavs come back from a 10-point deficit in the final quarter for the win.