The Cleveland Cavaliers have been looking for trade support at the trading deadline and names like Norris Cole, Jeremy Lin, Jose Calderon, Tyler Ennis, Arron Afflalo, Isaiah Thomas and Tyler Ennis could be targets to backup Kyrie Irving for the second half stretch and this comes as teams like the Houston Rockets, Miami Heat and Denver Nuggets are interested in making moves.
LeBron James and the Cavs have played themselves back into the top part of the eastern conference and now they are looking to make a strong push into the playoffs in the second half of the season. According to Cleveland.com, the team would like to add wing depth or a backup point guard at the deadline and this comes after the team has already made multiple trades this season. Norris Cole has been mentioned as an option, as he previously played with LeBron in Miami, while Arron Afflalo and Jose Calderon have been shopped this season.
According to Marc Stein, the Pistons have been interested in Cole, as they lost Brandon Jennings to an injury, while the Washington Wizards have also checked in on Cole. The Miami Heat have been taking offers on Cole, as he is headed to restricted free agency and there is a chance that he will not sign back with the team. The Heat have asked a high price for Cole, according to RealGM and that could keep a deal from happening.
The Cavaliers could be motivated to add someone like Cole, as he previously played with James and has been praised by him during his time in Miami. Afflalo has been shopped hard by the Nuggets, but he also has a high asking price. Jeremy Lin is not an option for the Cavaliers, as his contract has too much money on it even though it's expiring. The same likely goes for Jose Calderon, as he has two years and over $10 million left on his deal from the Knicks.
The Suns have been the main team at the deadline, as they have Goran Dragic as a target and also reportedly could look at trading Isaiah Thomas. Afflalo was a potential target, but now reports have him being traded to the Portland Trail Blazers from the Nuggets. Thomas and Dragic are likely too expensive for the Cavaliers and that makes Cole or someone like Jameer Nelson better targets. The Cavs don't have much space to add on the cap, but they would like some depth behind Irving.
Cole is one of the likely options, but Miami will not part with him without a decent draft pick, according to Marc Stein. The Cavaliers come into the end of the month at second in the central division behind the Bulls and they are now 33-22 after being one game under .500 about a month ago. LeBron James has been leading the way and the trade deals for Timofey Mozgov, JR Smith and Iman Shumpert have paid off very well. Mozgov has helped give the team a strong defensive presence and has helped take pressure off Kevin Love. The Cavaliers have the Wizards next on the schedule before hosting the Knicks and getting the second stretch started up.
