Cavs rumors: Larry Nance Jr. interest is there, but it’s clear trading him wouldn’t help CLE

The Cleveland Cavaliers are looking to deal Andre Drummond, as has been the case seemingly, and Cavs rumors about potential trades have been, and are going to be a mainstay, feasibly leading up to the NBA’s March 25 trade deadline.

And there have been a number of rumored potential landing spots for Andre Drummond, and the Toronto Raptors and Miami Heat have reportedly engaged in trade discussions with Cleveland centered on Drummond. And per a report from Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium (subscription required), the Chicago Bulls have “registered interest in Drummond,” which was a new rumored suitor.

The Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, LA Clippers and Portland Trail Blazers have been linked to Drummond, and the Dallas Mavericks have shown interest in him. Albeit per a report from Sam Amico of Forty Eight Minutes and OutKick, who noted those other linked clubs, the Mavs would have simply buyout interest in Drummond, to go with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Amico did report how a source believes the New York Knicks, who are a club that’s reportedly shown trade interest in Drummond, though, is the “frontrunner” for his services at this juncture, and they’d be a very logical spot for him. Pieces such as Nerlens Noel and Frank Ntilikina, to me, would be nice pieces to return for Drummond, and perhaps a flyer on Kevin Knox could be sensible.

We’ll have to see ultimately if Cleveland will be able to trade Drummond, though, and per Charania’s report, Cleveland is open to discussing potentially trading Cedi Osman, Taurean Prince and JaVale McGee in the “right deal.” Per Amico’s report, the Clippers and Nets have expressed interest in Osman, and the Milwaukee Bucks may have an interest in McGee, in that realm. You can view more on those rumors/reports here.

From there, though, according to a report from Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor on Saturday (subscription required), Larry Nance Jr. has reportedly drawn his share of interested trade suitors, and is proving to be more a more attractive asset than others for other clubs it appears. Per Fedor’s report/his sources, Nance is the player Cleveland has “received the most calls about.”

The Minnesota Timberwolves have reportedly “aggressively” pursued Nance since the offseason, per Fedor, and he named the Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers, New Orleans Pelicans, Heat and Mavs as interested clubs.

It’s evident that the potential trade interest for Nance is there, and there have been trade rumors involving him previously, but dealing him, from Cleveland’s perspective, still wouldn’t be a logical move. Fedor emphasized how the Cavs don’t really have interest in trading Nance, who is 28, and still considered a core piece that’s seemingly continually improving, but again, interest will be there.

Cavs rumors about Nance will be there, but trading him wouldn’t help them, realistically.

Fedor reported how there have been strong offers for Nance, and one offer did actually feature “multiple late first-round picks” as seemingly a key part of a return with salary filler. While I acknowledge acquiring those 1s would be solid in potentially a different deal, assuming they’re two years apart, I’d think, it wouldn’t appear likely to happen with others. And in regards to Nance, he’s simply far too valuable to deal for even that, to me.

Nance has of course been sidelined for a sizable chunk for Cleveland here due to a fractured fourth metacarpal on his left hand, and had missed a handful of outings because of a right wrist sprain. But he’s expected to return at the New Orleans Pelicans in the second half opener.

And on the season, when he’s been in there, Nance has done a commendable job in an interim starting 4 role for Kevin Love, whose been sidelined due to a high-grade right calf strain/aggravation since Dec. 27.

Hitting on Love for a brief bit here, a source of Fedor’s noted how Love could appear to be more of a sensible target for Dallas, from a shooting standpoint, and also even as a player that could help still in the defensive rebounding realm. Fedor suggested how Tim Hardaway Jr. and James Johnson could potentially be targets for expiring salary matching, but it’s still tough to foresee Love being dealt, given the injury woes/contract situation with him.

With Nance, though, he again has done a really nice job when healthy in a starting 4 role for the Cleveland Cavaliers, and has had 9.3 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists per outing. And perhaps most notably, he’s been tied for the league lead this season with 1.9 steals per game, and per NBA.com’s player hustle data, has been tied for first in deflections per game (3.9). Albeit one wouldn’t deem him as qualifying for near-leading.

Anyway, to further drive it home here, while the interest for Nance is clearly there and will be there via trade, given all the ways that Nance contributes for Cleveland, if the Cavs were to deal him, it wouldn’t be helping them.

The upcoming draft, for instance, should be a particularly talented one, and a deep one, but it’s highly unlikely the Cavaliers would be getting close to equal value for Nance even down the road in a potential trade, perhaps involving multiple late firsts. We’d again have to see about a different draft, presumably, for one of the 1s.

Nance’s offensive progression in recent years with the Cavs, and really since he was signed to a four-year extension near the start of 2018-19 after being acquired via trade near the 2018 deadline from the Lakers has been noteworthy, for one, too.

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And last season, he hit a pretty respectable 35.2 percent of his 2.8 three-point attempts per outing, and has averaged career-highs in both attempts (3.3) and three-point shooting hit rate at 38.1 percent.

His playmaking feel, willingness still as a screener/roller/cutter, much-improved handle, athleticism, to go with versatility often against 3’s and 4’s defensively are selling points to keep him around as a member of their core as well.

Plus, Jr. has a team-friendly, declining contract structure, and he’s a budding leader that is fully bought into being a hometown guy that embraces his family’s history with the Cavaliers. Previously, he even was granted permission by his dad, Larry Nance Sr., to wear #22, of which was retired by the Cavs, to honor him.

Point being, no matter how you slice it, the Cavaliers shouldn’t trade Nance Jr., who is on track to return soon, and factoring in a potential trading of Love perhaps in the offseason, too, that’s even more so the case.

It’s tough to completely do it justice, when expressing exactly all of what Nance means to the Cavaliers, from an on-floor standpoint, and for how he’s continued to make a difference in the community.

His efforts to aid local Cleveland area businesses that have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic plays into that as well, of which Evan Dammarell of Forbes and Fear The Sword previously highlighted.

While we’ll keep seeing Cavs rumors involving possible trades here, Jr. is absolutely not the dude that should be dealt by the Wine and Gold. He’s truly invaluable and still is an ascending player.