The Cleveland Cavaliers may look at trade deals this season and names like Corey Brewer, Timofey Mozgov or JR Smith could be potential targets and to make moves, the Cavs may have to trade Dion Waiters, Tristan Thompson or Anderson Varejao to give LeBron James some extra support down the stretch.
The Cavaliers are 8-7 this season and they are matching up next against the Bucks and Knicks after winning over the Pacers. According to ESPN.com, Brewer has been a target for the Cavaliers and the Rockets, while Mozgov has been mentioned as an option since last summer. Mozgov would be a solid rim protector and rebounder to give depth to the team, while Brewer would be an option on the wing and would give the team depth defensively. Marc Stein writes that the Cavaliers are weighing which approach would be smarter to take.
Brewer has a $4.9 million next season and Jeff Zillgitt writes on Twitter that the teams are looking for Brewer to waive that option if they trade for him. The Cavaliers have been playing much better after a slow start and they feel that adding Brewer gives the team another veteran option off the bench that they can use.
Waiters was mentioned in trade rumors last year and he could be an option to get moved if the team doesn't see improvement. Kyrie Irving is considered to be one of the point guards in the league, but at times the Cavaliers have struggled overall and he had issues with Waiters last season. Dion Waiters is one of those players and while he has talent, Waiters has not been playing well and he was taken out of the starting lineup. According to Pro Basketball Talk, after opening the season as the starting shooting guard, Waiters was pulled out for Shawn Marion for some games.
James said Rome was not built in a day and he did not win his first championship in Miami until his second season there and that could play out again in Cleveland. James signed with the Cavs this summer and after he made his announcement, he said it would be a long process for the team as they try and develop a winning formula. James had struggles with the Miami Heat after he signed there and it took a while for the team to develop a cohesive offense. James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh all had to change their games up and that is what is going on with the Cavaliers.
James coming over changed all of that and now the young team needs to grow up fast and if Waiters can't do that, he could be moved. Waiters is averaging just under 10 points per game this season and he has not been in the starting lineup after opening as one of the starters this season. Waiters averaged over 15 points last season off the bench and that could be his role if he stays with the Cavaliers. Head coach David Blatt said that Waiters is day to day and that he could be available against the Celtics for the next matchup for the Cavaliers.
