King James Gospel
Fansided

Rumor: Timofey Mozgov Being Shopped by Cavs

By Jared Mueller

Jan 12, 2016; Dallas, TX, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Timofey Mozgov (20) warms up before the game against the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 12, 2016; Dallas, TX, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Timofey Mozgov (20) warms up before the game against the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

According to Adrian Wojnarowski, the Cleveland Cavaliers have been calling around the league, shopping Timofey Mozgov.

Mozgov has not had a great season and has been benched in favor of Tristan Thompson, except two games ago against the San Antonio Spurs. The acquisition of Mozgov last year was huge for the Cavs. He provided the team size and length that they had been lacking.

Not so far this year with WOJO reporting the Cavs have been making calls, shopping him around:

"Nevertheless, the Cavs have started to make calls on the market for Timofey Mozgov, who could appeal to Western Conference contenders."

There are so many facets to a possible Mozgov trade that it is hard to wrap our head around. The Cavs have Thompson, Anderson Varejao and Sasha Kaun at the center position. They also play small ball quite often. However, Varejao and Kaun have seen very little court time and the team is uncertain of how much they can provide.

So the first thought would be that the Cavs would be looking for Timofey Mozgov of 2014-2015. A young big with upside that hasn’t blossomed just yet. I order to acquire such a player, the Cavs would likely have to work a multi-team deal to get Timo to a contender and get the big from another team.

WOJO also mentions that the Cavs have been seen as a facilitator, and not an acquirer, in a Markieff Morris trade:

"Phoenix has worked on multi-team trades that would unload Markieff Morris, including the Cavaliers as a facilitator in a deal, league sources said."

While Mozgov has underperformed, the Cavs still have use for him. His size should be helpful against the Spurs, Bulls, Heat, Hawks, Pistons, Clippers or Grizzlies should they meet in the Playoffs. He was less useful against the Golden State Warriors, which could be one reason the Cavs would be willing to move him.

More from King James Gospel

The Cavs have very limited resources to trade for talent. They also run the risk of losing Mozgov in free agency, with little if any way of replacing him with anything but a minimum salaried player. If they are able to get some value for Mozgov it seems like a good move.

However, this team is building to try to win a ring this year. While Mozgov hasn’t been the same player this year, and maybe won’t be, he could be very useful in spot situation. Having his size protects against injuries and gives the team some girth inside.

Without Timofey Mozgov, the Cavs were a small team last year. He immediately upgraded their size and talent level.

He has struggled this year and the Cavs have reportedly put him on the block. Whether it is the right move remains to be seen.

Do you think the Cavs trade Timofey Mozgov?