Elfrid Payton should be the Cleveland Cavaliers number one trade target

The Cleveland Cavaliers need to trade for Orlando Magic point guard Elfrid Payton this offseason.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. The Cleveland Cavaliers need to trade for Orlando Magic point guard Elfrid Payton.

Payton, who averaged 12.8 points, 6.5 assists and 4.7 rebounds, should be the Cleveland Cavaliers primary trade target. Acquiring Payton isn’t just a move that will help the Cavs next season, it’s a move for the long-term.

Payton is a player that, in place of Deron Williams, will improve the Cavs’ defense while maintaining their offensive efficacy. With Kyrie Irving mentioning early retirement, Payton is nearly a necessity, as he’s the most talented point guard that they’ll be able to acquire within the next two seasons.

Why not resign Deron Williams?

With Deron Williams set to hit free agency, there’s little reason to expect him back. The Cleveland Cavaliers would likely like for Williams to return but he’d only be paid the veteran’s minimum in that scenario. Not only can he get more money than the Cavs are willing to give him, there’s another contender that he could sign with:

The Utah Jazz, who Williams played with for the better part of six seasons.

There’s mutual interest between Williams and the Jazz, who will have two point guards (George Hill, Shelvin Mack) hit free agency next season.

What about Kay Felder?

Rookie Kay Felder has shown great potential in his first year in Cleveland. Nonetheless, if there’s anything to learn from the MVP-caliber season of Isaiah Thomas it’s that Felder’s lack of height will be exploited in big moments. The Cavs took Thomas out of his element with traps and blitzes and seeing how badly Thomas handled aggressive defense shouldn’t inspire confidence that Felder will do much better if teams focus on getting the ball out of his hands, at least not in his second season.

What about free agency?

Looking at the free agent market, Jose Calderon and Shelvin Mack are two point guards the Cavs are likely to target as they’ve shown interest in acquiring them before. However, with Calderon’s lack of lateral quickness and general inability to stick in front of opposing point guards, the Cavs would be looking at a player with Williams’ savvy but worse defense. Shelvin Mack is a player who likely looks for a contract with more value than the veteran’s minimum.

Why should the Cleveland Cavaliers trade for Payton?

The Cleveland Cavaliers need to trade for Elfrid Payton because of his defense, abilities as a floor general and his ability to stuff the stat sheet. Russell Westbrook, Draymond Green, Nikola Jokic and LeBron James were the only other players with five or more triple-doubles last season.

Payton is an athletic and rangy 6-foot-4 point guard with a 6-foot-8 wingpsan who evokes images of a young Rajon Rondo with his willingness to guard multiple positions. Payton, who has averaged 1.3 steals per game for his career, is a player who the Cavs should just imagine taking the place of Williams. Beside Kyrie Irving, Payton’s defense would allow the Cleveland Cavaliers to move Irving over to the shooting guard position as he attempts to lock down the opposing point guard.

With Payton’s ability to see the floor, the 6.5 assists per game he’s averaged for his career (on a team without a great deal of firepower) allows the Cavs to improve the defense they have in lineups that would usually feature Williams without giving anything up on offense. Payton could play beside Irving, LeBron James or the second unit and be effective in any setting.

As a scorer, despite Payton’s subpar career averages from three-point range (28.9 percent) and the free-throw line (61.1 percent), he’s always been excellent at getting into the lane and his ability to penetrate the perimeter will only increase while surrounded by the Cavs shooters. As a shooter, Payton looked like he was turning the corner in April as he hit 40.0 percent of his three-point attempts and 82.4 percent from the free-throw line. Those numbers are promising and, with so many excellent shooters on the Cavs roster, Payton’s shooting could experience the type of turnaround James has had in the playoffs (thanks to Kyle Korver).

In addition, with Irving mentioning retiring early and the Cavs not looking like a team that will have a load of cap space or lottery pick anytime soon, this would be a chance to get a point guard who could turn into a special player and start when Irving departs.

Why would the Orlando Magic trade Payton?

It’s a perimeter-oriented league and Payton’s weakness is his perimeter shooting, that’s reason 1A. North Carolina State’s Dennis Smith Jr., who is a point guard, was working out for the Orlando Magic last week according to the Orlando Sentinel’s Josh Robbins. That’s reason 1B.

Smith is likely going to be the pick as the Magic may feel like they need a star player in the draft and Smith has star potential, averaging 18.1 points, 6.2 assists and 1.9 steals per game in his freshman year of college. Add in the fact that Smith was coached by Penny Hardaway (a player every Magic fan knows about) when he played AAU in high school, it seems like the writing is already on the wall. They’ll likely select Smith with the 6th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft and he’ll be backed up by D.J. Augustin, the Magic’s best shooter at point guard.

What would the Cleveland Cavaliers offer the Magic?

The Cleveland Cavaliers should be able to offer their first round pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, since they own their 2019 first round pick. Last season, the Houston Rockets used a first-round pick to trade for Lou Williams. This would be a similar tradeoff. The Cleveland Cavaliers will end up absorbing Payton’s salary into a Traded Player Exception (TPE), providing a bit of cap relief for the Magic and a trade exception themselves.

Are there any other players the Cavs could target?

If that trade is unsuccessful, the Cavs should explore a trade for Denver Nuggets point guard Jameer Nelson or Phoenix Suns guard Leandro Barbosa. Both are solid shooters and, while Nelson is a better facilitator than Barbosa, Barbosa is quicker than Nelson. Both would be players the Cleveland Cavaliers have to absorb into a TPE, which could work for the Nuggets or Suns if they want to clear cap space to make impact free agent signings. However, both players are leaders for their respective ball clubs and with the young team they have around them, it’s uncertain if either franchise would be willing to move them.

The reason that I’d prefer Payton over Nelson or Barbosa is because of age and how much longer those players might have in the league. Payton is 23-years-old, Nelson is 35-years-old and Barbosa is 34-years-old.

What’s the likelihood that this trade happens?

It’s more likely that the Cavs would be able to complete a trade for Nelson or Barbosa than Payton, to be frank. Payton’s youth and potential may still have value in the organization, although it seems as if they’re moving away from Payton with their interest in Smith. If there’s any chance that the Cavs would be able to trade for Payton, it would require the Magic to draft Smith (or another point guard).

Related Story: Should Cavs trade or keep their 1st-round pick next year?

What do you think? Should the Cleveland Cavaliers try to trade for Elfrid Payton? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section or Twitter @KJG_NBA.