Will the Cleveland Cavaliers attempt to trade for Avery Bradley?

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Detroit Pistons combo guard Avery Bradley is now on the trade block. This gives the Cleveland Cavaliers another backcourt player to target with guards like Kemba Walker, George Hill and Lou Williams, all reported as Cavs trade targets (or at least players they’ve shown interest in), proving difficult to acquire.

Bradley, a sharpshooting guard with a reputation as a lockdown defender, has expanded his offensive game in recent years. He was traded to the Pistons by the Boston Celtics as they attempted to make cap room to sign Gordon Hayward in the offseason.

Pistons head coach and president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy makes Bradley available after the guard has played and started in 40 of the team’s 48 games. However, this is likely due to his decreased success on offense rather than his upcoming free agency period.

When Bradley was traded to the Pistons, Van Gundy said that keeping Bradley long-term would be possible if they wanted to keep him.

(Quote transcribed by NBA.com):

"“The finances will not inhibit our ability to re-sign Avery at whatever it takes. If we’re in a situation where we want Avery back and Avery wants to be here, we’ll be able to bring him back.”"

With that said, the Pistons must not want to keep Bradley. Bradley, who is on the final year of a 4-year, $32 million contract, is shooting 40.9 percent from the field (his lowest percentage since the 2012-2013 season). He’s also shooting a career-worst 56.1 percent from 0-3 feet away from the rim and has the lowest defensive rating (110) of his career as well.

He’s trying but it just hasn’t come together for him like it did in Boston, where he became a player capable of excelling on both ends and being efficient while doing so. Bradley is the same player and hasn’t suffered a serious injury, he just hasn’t played as well as he’s capable of playing and the bad play comes in area he’s good at.

A change of scenery could do wonders for Bradley.

For the Cavs, trading for Bradley would likely come with a trade of a player like Isaiah Thomas thanks to the low contract figures and trying to find a fit. It’s hard to see Bradley meshing with the guard-heavy Cavs if Thomas is on the roster.

However, while taking away a volume scorer, the Cavs would replace Thomas with a two-way player accustomed to playing off-the-ball but capable of making plays off-the-dribble.

With the Cavs’ wins with Thomas coming when he averages just 16.6 points per game, the high scoring may not be what the Cavs need at point guard.

One of the players the Warriors would least like to see traded to a potential playoff opponent. https://t.co/7yMBEf6O4m
— Tim Kawakami (@timkawakami) January 29, 2018

Just a player with balance as a scorer, playmaker and defender. Bradley.

The Pistons would be receiving a player who could replace incumbent starting point guard Reggie Jackson and be a franchise cornerstone for a few seasons, if they chose to re-sign him.

Even if Van Gundy were to try to flip Thomas in a bigger trade, Thomas would have a better chance of establishing a high trade value in Cleveland, thanks to an increased role. He’d also have a higher trade value than Bradley, given that he has a proven ability to lead a team.

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If there’s something that would keep the Cavs from calling the Pistons up about Bradley, it would be a TMZ report of Bradley paying a Cleveland woman to sign a confidentiality agreement after he was accused of rape. Bradley denied any wrongdoing, saying the agreement was put in place to protect his and his family’s reputation.

In all fairness, with Bradley not found to be criminally liable in this event, that might not keep the Cavs from trading for him. Derrick Rose, who was taken to civil court over sexual assault allegations that the jury didn’t find credible, was signed by the Cavs in the offseason.

Players and executives alike have not mentioned the case or treated Rose any differently because of it.

However, women’s rights movements have taken the national media by storm amid constant concerning reports of sexual assault by men in power. That could keep the Cavs, who are one of the NBA’s marquee teams, from bringing Bradley on and bringing negative off-the-court publicity to the franchise.

The price for Bradley is significant, according to Wojnarowski, but for the first time in a long time, the Cleveland Cavaliers have a few quality trade assets.

*All stats gathered from www.basketball-reference.com