Cleveland Cavaliers: Stop the Madness! Don’t Trade Anyone
What if the Cavs did not trade anyone and stayed quiet at the deadline? Would that be a surprise? Chemistry matters.
The Cleveland Cavaliers should think hard about trading with Iman Shumpert or anyone in their top 8- or 9-man rotation. There is a real cost associated with trading someone mid-season. There is the chemistry, the rotation, and the learning. What if the Cavs decided only to trade non-core pieces (Liggins, McCrae, Osman, picks) or not trade anyone at all?
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With Andrew Bogut being traded to the 76ers, likely leading to a buyout, and Larry Sanders working out for the Cavs as recently as yesterday, the Cavs no longer have to think about trading for a big man. Big men are available on the open market. And as soon as 3p EST rolls around, there is bound to be 1 or 2 solid point guards available on that market as well (not to mention Chalmers and Farmar).
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It is much safer to take a flyer on Sanders via a 10-day contract or get Bogut on board for the rest of the season than it would be to trade for someone like Patrick Beverely, especially when you think about how the postseason rotation is going to work out. Knowing that there is basically no way Lue plays more than 9 guys in the postseason, is there even any room for these so-called “needs?”
If you look at the starters and the first four off of the bench (Smith, Frye, Korver, Williams), the Cavs already have a solid 9-man rotation (assuming Williams works out), and who is going to lose minutes if they sign Bogut or Sanders or a point guard? Smith, Frye, and Korver are huge pieces to the puzzle. Jefferson likely falls out of the rotation. Shumpert is the best wing defender not named LeBron. Irving/Love/Thompson are not going to lose minutes.
It just does not make a ton of sense to mess with the chemistry that the Cavs have and try to trade someone who’s embedded in Lue’s system, especially when the playoff rotation is basically set already. If it’s possible to get a HUGE bench upgrade, then sure, why not. But if it’s peddling an above-average player for another above-average player, what’s the point?
Does Beverely move the needle? Bogut? Anyone else? Would Bogut play more than 5 minutes a night in the playoffs? I just don’t see a reason to get all excited about the trade deadline, unless you are excited about standing pat, that standing still is the best move that the Cavs can make.
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