The Cleveland Cavaliers pulled a trade for Timofey Mozgov after a long courting period and now the team has acquired the Nuggets center along with Iman Shumpert and JR Smith and with LeBron James set to return this coming week, the Cavs appear ready to make a championship run in 2015 with James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love.
The Cavaliers were willing to part with two first round picks in the Mozgov deal, as they were desperate for some help up front on defense. According to ESPN.com, The Cavaliers traded two first round picks, including one acquired in the deal with Dion Waiters to the Thunder, to get Mozgov in the fold and now he can help the team make up for the loss of Anderson Varejao after he was lost for the season.
The Cavaliers got a second round pick in 2015 in the deal and it came after the Nuggets were steadfast in saying they wanted two first round picks for Mozgov. The Cavaliers acquired Iman Shumpert and JR Smith from the Knicks after input from LeBron James and now the team feels it's better prepared to make a title run this season. Mozgov is averaging 8.5 points and 7.8 rebounds this season and now comes in with a $5 million option for next year that the Cavs likely will pick up.
The Cavaliers have struggled this season and are just 19-17, but James thinks that the team has improved greatly and can be much more efficient moving forward. The team is ranked 17th in points scored and points against and adding Mozgov should help the rebounding, which is ranked 26th in the league.
"It was a deal that we worked on for quite some time," Cavaliers GM David Griffin said. "We're very excited about this. It fits our needs."
