Kyrie Irving is no longer a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers, and it seems Iman Shumpert wants to be the next player to exit the Land.
According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, it makes sense for the Cavaliers to trade Shumpert, especially following the Kyrie Irving-Isaiah Thomas trade. Here’s what McMenamin wrote regarding the situation.
"Lost in the attention surrounding Irving’s trade request is that Iman Shumpert also requested a trade after the season, multiple sources told ESPN. Cleveland was in talks to trade Shumpert and his $10.3 million contract to Minnesota or Houston, but both deals fell apart. Logic would tell you that the Cavs will remain motivated to find a team to take Shumpert."
It seems obvious that Cleveland would want to send Shumpert to any team outside of Boston and Golden State. The 27-year-old joined Cleveland during the 2014-2015 season. It’s odd that Shumpert wanted a trade from Cleveland after saying that the Cavaliers “grabbed me out of hell” with the trade involving New York.
Either way, the Cavaliers should be ecstatic to give away Shumpert’s lucrative $10.3 million contract. Along with having a huge, outlandish contract, Shumpert was rather inefficient last season. He averaged just 7.5 points per game. Shumpert, who is known for his defensive tenacity, actually ended last season with a 112 defense rating which compares poorly to the team’s 108 average.
With the added depth of Jae Crowder, Jeff Green, and Derrick Rose along with Kyle Korver returning, it makes sense for the Cavaliers to look more towards the future instead of keeping Shumpert on the bench.
That said, let’s take a look at a couple possible deals the Cavaliers could make for Shump.