With the Houston Rockets trading what amounts to two 2nd round picks, with a few players thrown in to make it work, for Corey Brewer, Cleveland Cavaliers fans wondered why not the Cavs? Brewer fits a need that is obvious, wing defense, has a history with Kevin Love and seemingly didn’t cost that much to acquire.
Yet GM David Griffin didn’t pull the trigger, whether he was ever in the running is not known, to acquire the swingman. There is a very big reason for that: The Cavs have very few assets that they can use to acquire talent in the next few seasons. Griffin is working with a very limited asset budget, not necessarily money mind you, but a budget of what he can trade to improve the roster.
Unlike last season, where the Cavs traded a number of picks, including a few 2nd rounders, to acquire Luol Deng and Spencer Hawes, Griffin knows he can’t gamble his resources. Each move not only has to be made thinking about how that trade could impact the team but also how it takes away other opportunities.
Opportunity cost is a vital process Griff must go through. He has to understand moving any of his assets for a player like Brewer, fine but limited, could impact his ability to go after an even bigger/better player.
According to Terry Pluto of the Plain Dealer that, along with a desire for a big man, is the reason the Cavs didn’t trade for Brewer:
"Griffin has decided to wait, his goal being to add another big man — one who can block some shots and rebound. The trading deadline is February 19, and there may be some big men available close to the deadline.If Griffin had made a strong bid for Brewer, that would have been the Cavs main in-season move. The salary cap would have prevented most other deals. The trade option is the key because it allows a team to get rid of a contract (as Minnesota did with Brewer), but not take back much money."
Since we are talking about assets we should take a look at the assets that the Cavs have available to them this year and into the off-season:
- Keith Bogans Trade Exception: This is the trade option that Pluto is talking about. The Cavs basically have a $5.3 million dollars in space that they can absorb a contract into with this exception. For teams that are looking to get out from salary, teams that are not competing want to pay as little as possible, getting rid of $5.3 million is a big deal. The Cavs could easily acquire any number of players just by using this exception and a protected pick. Whether those players are worth using it, we assume they think Brewer wasn’t, is a different story.
- Brendan Haywood‘s Contract: Haywood is one of few players that I assume will not be traded this season. This year he counts a little over $2 million towards any trade. Next year however he has a non-guaranteed $10.5 million dollar option. That means the Cavs could trade him for a high salary player, to make the cap math work, and the other team could cut him lopping huge sums of money off of their books. The Cavs have already been linked to Roy Hibbert, Larry Sanders and others next season with this contract. Using Sanders as an example, the Bucks could want to get out from his huge deal since he has been a knucklehead since signing it. They could trade him to Cleveland for Haywood and either a young player or a draft pick, and cut Haywood immediately. They save $10 million, giving them money to go shopping for a better fit player, while the Cavs get a athletic rim protecting, head case, of a center. Win – Win situation. The Haywood contract could be huge towards the Cavs long term success.
- Memphis Pick: The Cavs got Mo Speights, Wayne Ellington, Josh Selby and a conditional first round pick in exchange for Jon Leuer. At the time it was seen as a pure salary dump by the Memphis Grizzlies. Since then Leuer has actually played pretty well and the Cavs only have the first round pick left from the trade. The Cavs will get the Grizzlies pick if it is between the 6th and 14th selection in the next two drafts. After that it is only protected as a Top 5 pick for two years and then unprotected. With the way the Grizz are playing now the Cavs won’t get their pick this upcoming draft. That is probably a good thing as it will likely be a very late pick. Next year however Memphis could lose Marc Gasol hurting their team greatly and giving the Cavs a chance at a Lottery level pick. That also makes the pick highly valuable to other teams. Many have paired this pick with the Haywood contract but that may not necessarily be the case. The Cavs could use other assets with Haywood and keep this pick to infuse some high level young talent to the team. If not, the pick could be highly valuable on the trade market.
- Dion Waiters: The Cavs do not have a 2nd round pick until 2019, so Waiters becomes their 4th best trade asset. The young shooting guard has not adapted well to the new look Cavaliers but is full of talent. He would excel on a team with a few big men but very little guard play. He does his best with the ball in his hands and a ton of time on the floor. He can take most players off the dribble and has decent range. He struggles to finish at the rim, and rarely gets foul calls he begs for, and his shot selection is iffy. Yet his talent has shown through at different times during his brief NBA career and another team could be intrigued by making him a more important part of their offense. Philadelphia, his hometown, has often been mentioned. Waiters could be used to help the Cavs acquire a similar player who isn’t fitting with his team either. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is an example of a player whose fit isn’t great that the Cavs could have some interest in.
- 2015 1st Round Pick: The Cavs still have their pick for next season. Because they dealt their 2016 1st round pick to get rid of Jarrett Jack and others, they cannot trade the pick until after they make their selection in the draft. They could work out a prearranged deal where they select the player another team wants so as to move him shortly after the pick. This selection, paired with the Haywood contract, could be a big help in getting the Cavs a player that could be high impact for years to come, even if pricey.
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That is it. Five assets and two of them aren’t actually on the floor assets, just financial assets. So GM David Griffin has to be very careful in how he spends his limited assets. For this season the 2015 1st rounder and Haywood contract are basically off the table. That leaves Waiters and the Grizzlies pick as things that can be paired with the Bogans trade exception to acquire talent.
Trading a player who has the potential to be a starting level shooting guard or a possible Lottery pick for a season of Corey Brewer would not be well spent opportunity costs. Whether any of those assets are used to bring in talent is another question. While Griffin has the Bogans exception he can’t force a deal, using another asset, just to use the exception. That is poor roster management.
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How do you want to see the Cavs use their trade assets after passing on Corey Brewer?