King James Gospel
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Cavs should consider trading George Hill to Suns

By Nathan Beighle

OAKLAND, CA - JUNE 03: George Hill #3 of the Cleveland Cavaliers reacts against the Golden State Warriors in Game 2 of the 2018 NBA Finals at ORACLE Arena on June 3, 2018 in Oakland, California. 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. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - JUNE 03: George Hill #3 of the Cleveland Cavaliers reacts against the Golden State Warriors in Game 2 of the 2018 NBA Finals at ORACLE Arena on June 3, 2018 in Oakland, California. 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. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
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PHOENIX, AZ – MARCH 20: Dragan Bender #35 of the Phoenix Suns handles the ball against the Detroit Pistons on March 20, 2018 at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. 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: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images)
PHOENIX, AZ – MARCH 20: Dragan Bender #35 of the Phoenix Suns handles the ball against the Detroit Pistons on March 20, 2018 at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. 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: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Why Cleveland does the deal

The Cleveland Cavaliers should do a deal like this for an array of reasons.

For starters, it continues their youth movement. Even before James officially left Cleveland, the Cavs were moving towards a younger roster, trading for three 25-year-olds prior to the trade deadline. Bender, who has played in the league two seasons, is just 21 and would add to the Cavs future core.

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Along similar lines, Cleveland would rid themselves of Hill’s enormous contract. Albeit guaranteed a marginal amount of his $18 million next season, the Cavs still owe Hill his full $19 million this season, a total they could pass onto the Suns.

On top of both those, trading Hill would free up minutes for several younger, developing players in Cleveland’s backcourt. The Cavs have Hill, rookie Collin Sexton and combo guard Jordan Clarkson all demanding minutes at the point.

At the two, they have players like JR Smith, Rodney Hood and David Nwaba to rotate in. The Cavs, while not a top Eastern Conference team, still have the depth of a Finals contender.

As far as depth goes, the Cavs are also somewhat thin at the power forward slot. They have Kevin Love taking up the majority of the minutes, but following Love, they can choose from either Sam Dekker or Channing Frye. Either way, Bender would be the clear second option if brought to Cleveland.

Trading Hill for Bender would help Cleveland both short-term and long-term.