Cavs deal for George Hill “not dead”
George Hill to the Cleveland Cavaliers could still happen.
According to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Sacramento Kings have yet to toe-tag a deal that would bring George Hill to The Land.
"The Kings long-rumored talks with the Cavaliers about a George Hill swap are not dead according to league sources, who characterized them as maybe the least favored option for both teams, but something they could do at the deadline if nothing better surfaces."
The deal has been said to be held up by a myriad of factors, including the Cavs wanting Hill to agree to a preliminary buyout prior to the deal in the event LeBron James leaves for free agency and resistance (from head coach Tyronn Lue) to the idea of trading Channing Frye.
With Kevin Love suffering a broken hand against the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday night and potentially sidelined for two months, trading the player whose offensive game most resembles Love’s isn’t ideal.
Frye had 20 points (6-of-9 from the field, 4-of-7 from three-point range), 6 rebounds and 2 blocks in just 21 minutes in Love’s absence Tuesday.
The 6-foot-11 stretch-5 is averaging 13.9 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.0 assists per 36 minutes while shooting 51.0 percent from the field and 36.0 percent from three-point range.
That he’s emotional glue for a soul-searching Cavs team playing with the effectiveness of a punch-drunk fighter also makes it hard to move him.
However, with Love’s injury and the continued struggles of Isaiah Thomas on both ends of the court, there needs to be some type of move made.
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Still, while adding a DeAndre Jordan might make the team better on both ends, the Cavs need backcourt help. Thomas is shooting 38.6 percent from the field and 27.3 percent from three-point range while taking as many shots as James per 36 minutes (18.1), averaging 4.0 turnovers per 36 minutes and surrendering 117 points per 100 possessions on defense, the worst mark on the team (tied with Derrick Rose). What’s more, he still hobbles around the court at 75-80 percent of his full strength.
To that point, the injury-prone Rose already missed a significant stretch of time this season with a nagging ankle injury. He’s also shooting just 27.8 percent from the field while averaging 3.8 turnovers to 2.6 assists per 36 minutes.
Their most healthy and fitting starter this season has been Calderon. Calderon is shooting 49.0 percent from the field and 44.8 percent from three while averaging 4.5 assists per 36 minutes. Yet even he has his issues, giving up the fourth-most points per 100 possessions (115) and only scoring 8.7 points per 36 minutes because he’s not the one-on-one scorer the Cavs are used to having.
Hill isn’t an elite scorer, only averaging above 15.0 points per game twice in his career. However, he does everything else well, especially defending point guards. One of the Cavs’ biggest issues has been getting beat off-the-dribble and another has been pick-and-roll defense. Hill excels at both of these areas.
To be fair, he may be the most balanced guard available in trade talks. It’s good that talks haven’t been shelved.
The question is this though, if the Cavs are unwilling to offload Frye, then who? Jae Crowder and J.R. Smith have been inconsistent in their three-and-D role, to put it mildly, but are x-factors who can change the flow of a game.
Would the Cavs, led by hands-on team owner Dan Gilbert, be willing to move a malcontent and ill-fitting Thomas in this deal, or a bigger one?
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