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Cavs Interested In Jared Dudley?

By Luke Sicari

Dec 30, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Washington Wizards forward Jared Dudley (1) reacts to a non-call against the Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre. The Raptors beat the Wizards 94-91. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 30, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Washington Wizards forward Jared Dudley (1) reacts to a non-call against the Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre. The Raptors beat the Wizards 94-91. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Cleveland Cavaliers are reportedly interested in Jared Dudley but the Washington Wizards aren’t keen on moving the 30-year old.

The Cavaliers always seem to be in trade rumors and today is no different.

According to Brian Windhorst of ESPN, the Cavs are interested in acquiring Dudley from the Wizards but it does seem unlikely. Here is a transcript of Windhorst’s comments, via Bullets Forever.

"The Cavs would love to get their hands on Jared Dudley. They kicked around trading for Dudley last summer, the Bucks basically gave him away. He plays for the Wizards. He’s shooting over 40 percent from three-point range, quality defensive player, quality locker room guy on the last year of his contract.The problem is, the Wizards have the easiest schedule in the league after the All-Star break. So even though they’ve been a disappointment to this point, the difficulty is they still feel like they can make a run because of what their schedule is and they’re going to be healthy. So right now, he’s not available.So that’s one of the things, if you’re looking for something to root for between now and the deadline, it’s for the Wizards to lose every game so that they get more interested in trading Dudley. But I just don’t think the Wizards are going to do it because he’s valuable to them and they feel like they’re going to make a second-half run."

Dudley ticks all the boxes that Cleveland is looking for, as Windhorst points out. He can be a replacement for LeBron James and could eve spell Kevin Love at the 4-spot at times.

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He is a defender, as Dudley is holding opponents to just 45.6% from the field this season, which is less than one percent above their season average. The Wizards also pose a better defensive rating with Dudley on the court (104.4 with him on compared to 106.7 with him off.)

Cleveland is struggling with scoring off the bench and Dudley would also be able to help that. He is shooting 45.9% from the three-point line, which is a terrific rate. He is averaging 8.8 points per game this season and will assist with the floor spacing the Cavs covert.

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the prospect of Dudley fitting in with the Cavaliers.

"Signed in the off-season to be a replacement for Paul Pierce, Dudley has been a pleasant surprise for the Wizards this season and is someone who would be able to fit the Cavaliers perfectly.Dudley is shooting a deadly 47.6% from three-point range this season, which is one of the best rates in the NBA. On catch and shoot attempts from downtown that percentage raises slightly to 47.7%, which is an indication that Dudley would be able to hit the shot the Cavs would need him to on an extremely consistent basis.On the defensive end of the floor, the eight-year veteran has made a positive impact for Washington this season. When Dudley is off the floor, the Wizards give up 4.3 points more per 100 possessions and Dudley holds opponents to 44.3% shooting from the field, which is 0.5% less than their season average, which proves Dudley’s positive impact on the defensive end."

While it would be a positive for the Cavs if Dudley did come to Cleveland, it seems unlikely. The Cavaliers don’t have many trade assets and Dudley is one of the Wizards key clogs in their rotation this season, so don’t expect to see him in the Wine and Gold anytime soon.