NBA Trade Rumors: Are There Really ‘Untouchables’?

David Griffin once said that there are no untouchables on the Cleveland Cavaliers. With all the NBA Trade Rumors, that may have been a bit of an exaggeration.

With the NBA trade deadline just two days away, rumors begin to surface that the Cavaliers are in the market for a trade. Three players who have been thrown into the mix are Kevin Love, Iman Shumpert and Timofey Mozgov.

Both of these players have been a member of the Cavaliers for a little over a year, and were supposed to be long-term solutions to help bring a championship to Cleveland; Shumpert even signed a four-year, $40 million contract to stay with the team back in July.

With Love, Shumpert and Mozgov being available for trade, it makes you think back to when Cavs General Manager David Griffin said no one is untouchable back in November:

"“No one is untouchable, and you’re never done building a team, so we’re always paying attention to what opportunities are out there,” Griffin told Northeast Ohio Media Group. “My tendency is always trying to do what we can do to improve the roster. But I’m not looking to create one so much as paying attention to what I’m hearing.“"

If making a trade is something that has to be done in order to improve the team’s chances of winning a championship, by all means, make a trade. However, don’t you think saying nobody is an untouchable is a bit of an over exaggeration?

One player who is an obvious “untouchable” is LeBron James. The Akron, Ohio native has averaged 25 points, 7.1 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 1.4 steals per game this season, and is the sole reason the Cavaliers will be contending for a championship for the second season in a row.

LeBron’s running mate, Kyrie Irving, is another player the Cavaliers won’t be trading anytime soon. Not only has he developed a superb chemistry with James, but Irving has solidified himself as one of the point guards in the association.

Irving was forced out of action during game one of the NBA finals last season, but made his mark on the game. The 23-year-old put up 23 points, seven rebounds, six assists, four steals and two blocks, one ultimately sent the game to overtime, before injuring his knee.

One could even argue that the finals wouldn’t have played out the way they did if Irving had been in the lineup. Though there is no way to actually prove that, it’s clear Irving is a huge factor for the success of the Cavaliers.

So far in the month of February, Irving has averaged 27.7 points and 6.7 assists on 55 percent from the field.

One under-the-radar player who should be considered an untouchable is James Jones. Though he isn’t a rotation player, ‘Champ’ provides veteran savviness that nobody else in the locker room is able to provide.

When he signed with the Cavaliers following the return of LeBron, it seemed he was just riding the coattails of the King. However, that is not the case in the slightest.

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There is a reason LeBron referred to Jones as his favorite teammate of all time: he brings the team together. Chris Manning of Hardwood Paroxysm described him as the team’s Yoda, which is understandable.

Jones is a player who has received the respect of his teammates and the higher ups in the organization. When it was announced that David Blatt had been fired, Griffin called upon Jones to form a players’ only meeting.

The Cavaliers might have to make a trade in order to compete with the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs, but for Griffin to say there are no untouchables is farfetched, especially with the like of James, Irving and Jones all on the team.

What do you think? Are there any “untouchables” for the Cavaliers? How does Griff saying this impact how you read NBA Trade Rumors when they come out?