The Cleveland Cavaliers avoided a major injury scare with Kyrie Irving on Thursday against the Thunder and that came after LeBron James sat out with knee soreness and while both players are fine for the long term, the Cavs still will look at trade options and names like Corey Brewer, Timofey Mozgov, Gerald Green and Lance Stephenson could be targets for Dion Waiters or Tristan Thompson at the trading deadline.
James sat out on Thursday with knee soreness, while Kyrie Irving was forced to leave the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder after injuring his knee, although he later returned. According to Pro Basketball Talk and ESPN.com, the injury was a knee contusion on the left side, but Irving said after the game that it was not serious and would not keep him out moving forward. James said he just needed some rest and that his soreness was not serious and that he could be back in the lineup for the following game. Irving's injury looked serious at first, but it ended up being just a contusion.
The Cavaliers have been interested in making at least one move this season when it comes to trades, as they reportedly would like another big man up front with Kevin Love. According to ESPN reported Marc Stein, the Cavaliers want some more defensive depth up front and they also may look at adding another player on the wing like Brewer. The Houston Rockets are also interested in Brewer and Stein writes that the Cavs are weighing whether they should go after the front court piece over the wing option, as their defense is the biggest weakness on the team right now.
Mozgov was a target over the summer and the team could look at making a deal, although the Nuggets have not been looking to trade Mozgov, as he is on a team friendly deal. Mozgov has played well for the team and unless the Cavs give Waiters or Thompson, the Nuggets will likely sit tight. Brewer is an option if they Cavs go the other way on the big man trade, while the Grizzlies have Kostas Koufos as a potential target.
According to Pro Basketball Talk, the Grizzlies big man is the latest target for the Cavaliers, as he is behind Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph in the rotation and could get moved. The Grizzlies would likely want something significant for the big man, as many scouts have described him as an underrated defense and rebounder. The Cavs would like to add someone up front with Love, as the team is ranked in the bottom half of the league in rebounds per game. Adding another big man would also be huge for depth in the postseason.
The Cavaliers had won eight straight games before losing to the Oklahoma City Thunder and now they head into the back stretch of December. The team was 5-7 when the streak started and in that time they won over some very good teams, including the Toronto Raptors twice and the Washington Wizards. The team now will face off against Anthony Davis and the Pelicans and they are 13-8 on the season and right at the top of the division with the Chicago Bulls.
