Cleveland Cavaliers Shouldn’t Trade Iman Shumpert

It is officially NBA trade deadline week and with that comes a number of rumors and speculation about who is going where. For the Cleveland Cavaliers, Iman Shumpert’s name has popped up in trade talks but trading him would ultimately be a mistake.

A day after the NBA All-Star Game is when the ‘silly season’ begins, with new NBA trade rumors being released every time you refresh your Twitter feed.

For the Cavaliers, a team sitting first atop the Eastern Conference with a 38-14 record, you would think they would be relatively quiet this week. Why would you change up a roster that has the fourth best record in the NBA and is the favorite to represent the East in the finals? After all, you don’t see the Golden State Warriors, San Antonio Spurs or Oklahoma City Thunder talking about making major moves to their roster.

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The problem for the Cavs though, is that they aren’t like your regular 38-14 team. They have gone through a countless number of roster changes since LeBron James returned in the summer of 2014, they have fired their head coach mid-season and yet still have a number of issues to clean up. I wrote about those issues and how the Cavaliers need to improve here.

So, with all of that being said, it seems as if GM David Griffin is actively trying to upgrade the roster for the final 30 games and a playoff run. A rumor that has been leaked is one involving Shumpert, which was first reported by Marc Stein and Brian Windhorst of ESPN.

"Sources say that the Cavs, though, have been more and more active in recent days in pursuing upgrades to their bench, with center Timofey Mozgov and swingman Iman Shumpert — both in the midst of down seasons after their mid-season arrivals in 2014-15 — said to be available."

Before we get stuck into why the Cavs shouldn’t trade Shumpert, we must acknowledge that Griffin, as a General Manager, is doing his due diligence. He has spoken before how you must be all in to win a championship, so Griffin searching for every possible way to improve the roster is the right move. Leave no stone unturned right?

Although, trading Shumpert would ultimately be a bad decision for the Cavaliers.

First off, finding any possible suitors for Shumpert shouldn’t be that difficult, in terms of his skill-set. Shumpert brings a defensive edge to the court; with his capability to guard the opposition’s best player every night and he possess one of the best sets of hands in the entire league. The problem would be his recently inked contract though, as Jim Weber points out.

It must be stated that with the upcoming spike in the salary cap, Shumpert’s deal may become commonplace in the next couple of years. The Cavs aren’t worried about the next couple of years though, as they would be looking for a player who can make an immediate impact in return for Shumpert. How much of an issue Shumpert’s contract could be in a possible deal remains to be seen but it could create some minor road bumps.

Okay, enough about the contract. That isn’t the reason the Cavs should/shouldn’t trade Shumpert. Cleveland is already way over the salary cap and into the luxury tax, so it’s clear the money isn’t going to stop them from making any significant changes.

The Cavaliers shouldn’t trade Shumpert because he fits like a glove into Tyronn Lue’s new up-tempo system he is introducing. Shumpert is one of the best contributors off a Cavs bench that doesn’t contribute much, as his defensive intensity and (sometimes) efficient jumper should be enough to convince Cleveland against trading him.

Let’s start with Shumpert’s calling card, his defense.

James has said on numerous occasions that Shumpert has one of the best sets of hands in the NBA and he is correct. Shumpert’s timing and anticipation on the defensive end is terrific, as he has ‘Shumped’ (meaning a player has been stripped by Shumpert) numerous of opponents. His most notable strip may have been the one on Dirk Nowitzki, which helped the Cavs secure a road win in Dallas.

Shumpert’s value as a defender can’t be harped on enough. When he is on the court, he will go to guard the best player on the other team, which gives James a chance to rest up a little on D. Shumpert brings an edge and intensity on the defensive end that may only be matched by his teammate Matthew Dellavedova.

Cleveland’s defense takes a hit when Shumpert is on the bench, as they miss his outstanding instincts and his dedication to that end of the court. When he is on the floor, the Cavaliers give up just 99.5 points per 100 possessions. When Shumpert is off the floor though, that number jumps to 102.0.

So, Shumpert’s impact on the defensive is quite clear. An area where many fans get frustrated with Shumpert though is on the offensive end and they’re frustration has some merit.

Way too many times Shumpert attempts to do too much with the ball. He will do an array of dribble moves to get to the basket or create his own shot and this isn’t his game. It is no surprise to see a turnover occur when Shumpert attempts to do this. It is undoubtedly an aspect of his game that he needs to clean up- or just quite frankly stop doing all together. James, Kevin Love, Kyrie Irving and J.R. Smith all play for the Cavaliers. They don’t need Shumpert in there for offense.

The Cavs would love for Shumpert to be a valuable ‘3-and-D’ type player and while the defense is definitely there, his three-point shot has left something to be desired this season.

He is shooting just 32.2% from downtown this season; a poor number when considering 33.0% is the ‘average’ league mark. To be fair to Shumpert, he is coming off wrist surgery and while it is unknown how much of an impact that is having on his shot, it is safe to assume it is having some kind of impact.

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Ideally, Cleveland would love to have Shumpert take all of his shots in catch-and-shoot situations. Plant him in the corner or on the wing, have one of the Big Three operate and potentially kick it out to a wide-open Shumpert for the triple. Sounds great in theory but Shumpert is shooting just 35.1% from beyond the arc in these situations. Not a horrible numbers but not one where the Cavs can go to him for reliable offense.

Now, Shumpert will get his game cleaned up on the offensive end. As long as he continues to work on his jumpshot and forget about creating his own offense, he will be fine. He was a 38.7% three-point shooter in catch and shoot situations last season, so everyone knows he has the ability to hit that shot. It is just a matter of time until it happens again this season. In the meantime, his defensive attributes are simply too good for the Cavs to trade on.