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What a trade between the Cleveland Cavaliers and New Orleans Pelicans could look like

By Quenton S. Albertie

CLEVELAND, OH - FEBRUARY 6: Iman Shumpert #4 of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Jrue Holiday #11 of the New Orleans Pelicans reach for a jump ball during the second half at Quicken Loans Arena on February 6, 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cavaliers defeated the Pelicans 99-84. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory copyright notice. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - FEBRUARY 6: Iman Shumpert #4 of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Jrue Holiday #11 of the New Orleans Pelicans reach for a jump ball during the second half at Quicken Loans Arena on February 6, 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cavaliers defeated the Pelicans 99-84. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory copyright notice. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /
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What could a trade between the Cleveland Cavaliers and New Orleans Pelicans, centered on Iman Shumpert, look like?

According to Cody Taylor of Basketball Insiders, the New Orleans Pelicans have interest in Cleveland Cavaliers shooting guard Iman Shumpert. That’s a trade that could work out well for both sides.

Following injuries to veteran forward Solomon Hill and rookie point guard Frank Jackson, Shumpert is a logical addition to the team with his reputation as a solid perimeter defender and his ability to play the 1, 2 and 3. His defensive-minded play and versatility would allow the Pelicans to kill two birds with one stone, not to mention he’s the type of passionate character sure to fire up the crowd and the locker room.

While some of the more fanatical rumors about Shumpert and the Pelicans have Shumpert being traded to the Big Easy along with center Tristan Thompson and the Brooklyn Nets’ first-round pick for center DeMarcus Cousins, the trade is unlikely given the Pelicans willingness to give their Twin Towers experiment a chance to work before breaking up what could be a dynamic duo down low in Cousins and Anthony Davis.

If Shumpert is still on the Cavs’ roster by the trade deadline, the aforementioned trade package wouldn’t be a bad idea. Nonetheless, it’s possible that, given the difference between Cousins and Thompson’s offensive capabilities, the Pelicans would want Kevin Love instead.

Below is a trade scenario where the Cavs make a trade involving Shumpert that works for both teams right now.

In this trade scenario, the Cleveland Cavaliers receive E’Twaun Moore, a valuable three-point threat, Omer Asik, a defensive-minded center, and a second-round pick from the New Orleans Pelicans while trading away Iman Shumpert and Channing Frye.

For the Pelicans, the rationale is simple. On the wings, they were already weak defensively and with the injury Solomon Hill sustained, they’re in dire need of a reputable defender on the perimeter. Shumpert can be just that, with his ability to guard all three perimeter positions. Last year was one of Shumpert’s worst as a defender to be frank. Even still he managed to hold players to an effective field goal percentage of 28.6 in isolation situations last season, placing him in the 90th percentile.

The Pelicans also need a big man who can space the floor for players like Jrue Holiday, Rajon Rondo and Jordan Crawford as they try to penetrate the lane and for Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins to have one-on-one battles down low.

While there is a lot to like about Cheick Diallo as a player, he doesn’t have range out to the three-point line. Frye, who has made 38.9 percent of his long-range attempts in his career and 40.9 percent of his threes last season, could come in and immediately provide the floor spacing the Pelicans need. That’s especially true considering that when the Pelicans had the most on-court success after the trade, it was with them staggering the minutes between Davis and Cousins. If only one of them will be on the court at the same time, it’s imperative that there’s a player to stretch the floor from the frontcourt.

Just like the Pelicans are devoid of perimeter defenders, they also have nobody to his outside shots in their frontline.

Must Read: At least three teams have expressed interest in trading for Iman Shumpert

For the Cavs, the trade brings them a more reliable three-point threat than Shumpert in Moore. Moore is confident from behind-the-line and not without good reason, having knocked down 36.9 percent of his three-point attempts for his career and 45.2 percent of his threes in the 2015-2016 season. For comparison, Shumpert has knocked down 34.0 percent of his threes during his career, below league average.

Moore also has an in-between game that Shumpert doesn’t possess, having made 49.1 percent of his shots 3-10 away from the rim (in the lane and along the baseline). For comparison, Shumpert has made just 22.7 percent of his shots from that range. Even considering their ability to finish when they get to the rim, Moore’s layup package is better than Shumpert’s, allowing him to finish 61.6 percent of his shots 0-3 away from the rim for his career and 68.1 percent of his shots from that range last season. Shumpert has made 56.6 percent of his shots from 0-3 away from the rim for his career and 62.2 percent of his shots from that range last year.

The biggest issue with Shumpert’s offense was his inability to consistently finish drives. If he developed a floater or baseline jumper, he wouldn’t have to get all the way to rim and attempt to finish tough drives in a crowd or with a defender ready to meet him in the air. Those errant drives fans saw from Shumpert would be a thing of the past and replaced by the efficiency of Moore.

Not known as a lockdown defender, Moore doesn’t lack for effort on that end and held his matchup to an effective field goal percentage of 33.3 during isolation plays last season, placing him close to the 77th percentile in such situations. He even held pick-and-roll ball-handlers to an effective field goal percentage of 38.5 and caused turnovers 14.6 percent of the time, placing him near the 72nd percentile in those situations.

Asik lacks offensive skills but is a player who could soak up minutes at center throughout the course of season provide experienced pick-and-roll defense and rim-protection for the team should the Cavs opt to give him playing time rather than a young player like Ante Zizic or Edy Tavares. From what we saw with the Cavs last year, with head coach Tyronn Lue consistently opting to play the players with the most NBA experience, there’s a good chance they’d do just that. Asik is a burly big man with a good technique in many facets of interior defense, including defensive rebounding. In a sense, he’s the perfect player to give Thompson a breather at center.

In sum, this is a trade that works well for both sides.

It may very well be the trade that eventually transpires.

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