The Cleveland Cavaliers might not know why the Washington Wizards are interested in acquiring Lonzo Ball and his 26.9 percent from 3-point this season, but the Cavs shouldn't ask too many questions.
According to HoopsHype's Michael Scotto, the Wizards are "among the teams that have checked in on Ball." Scotto also noted that Washington could be incentivized to take on Lonzo's $10 million salary if the Cavs were willing to attach draft capital.
Cavaliers should pounce on Lonzo Ball trade with Wizards
Cleveland fans might consider it brash to give up second-round draft capital just to trade Ball, who has a team option for next season (meaning he's essentially expiring).
However, if the Cavs were able to move off of his $10 million now, they'd have more flexibility to make an impact trade before Feb. 5. This might be something that president of basketball operations Koby Altman is considering.
The basketball consequences of losing Lonzo would be nil. He's still working into rhythm on an NBA floor, and his meager production has reflected that, as has Kenny Atkinson's lack of confidence in Ball (not to mention Cavs fans giving up on him).
While the Lonzo shade in Cleveland is somewhat undeserved, there's no denying that he'd be a better fit somewhere else. A bad team like the Wizards would actually be perfect for Zo. He'd be able to play freely and get his confidence back in a forgiving environment.
The Cavaliers are A-okay at the point guard position between Darius Garland and Craig Porter Jr. And if Garland continues to get hurt, Atkinson has Tyrese Proctor to back up Porter. Cleveland doesn't need Lonzo.
Altman is having a lot of conversations right now, with De'Andre Hunter and potentially others being thrown around as trade chips.
What Altman lacks is cap space, which will likely handcuff him from certain deals that would otherwise be doable. Trading Lonzo isn't going to get Cleveland under the second apron, but it would provide some relief.
A Lonzo-Wizards deal could be one in which everyone wins, Ball most of all. Lonzo fans should want this trade to go down. He deserves a better opportunity to get his NBA sea legs back.
Who knows, if the fit in Washington was even better than expected, the Wizards might decide to keep a Lonzo-Trae Young point guard corps moving forward, which would be a surprisingly appropriate pairing, given how their games complement one another.
Ultimately, Cleveland was hoping that Lonzo was going to be at his best in a Cavs uniform, but it was a mistake to think that he'd get back up to speed right away. The fact that he needs some more runway simply doesn't match the Cavs' timeline. They are eager to win right now.