- Donovan Mitchell says the Cavs are a ‘different team’ than they were a week ago: ‘There’s a swagger we have’
- J.B. Bickerstaff praises Lamar Stevens for being poised and unafraid amid new starting role
- LeBron James’ former teammate says Victor Wembanyama is the greatest basketball prospect in the history of the NBA
- Kevin Love believes current Cavs team is ‘right there’ with 2015-16 roster in terms of talent
- Stephen Curry admits Kyrie Irving’s go-ahead 3 was in his head during Kevin Love’s iconic Game 7 stop in 2016
- Cedi Osman issues team-first message after stellar performance in Cavs win over Heat
- Paul Pierce believes Cavs are among 5 teams that can actually win NBA title this season
- Darius Garland on what he tells Evan Mobley: ‘You can do whatever, it’s your team’
- Darius Garland’s blunt reason for what has led to Cavs’ 5-game losing streak
- J.B. Bickerstaff calls out Cavs for having ‘fat-cat mentality’ after 5th straight loss
10 Players the Cleveland Cavaliers Could Trade for by the Trade Deadline
- Updated: January 14, 2016
The Tuesday trade of Joe Harris to the Orlando Magic, followed by their subsequent release of him, temporarily gave the Cleveland Cavaliers some luxury tax relief, and added a little bit more to the amount of money they have available for any more deals before the NBA trade deadline arrives on February 18.
Harris’ deal is worth $845,059 in a trade exception, but it also frees up a spot for the Cavaliers to bring in someone over the next five weeks to fill that berth. Ordinarily, such a low amount might not bring much, but since teams inevitably cut loose aging veterans at midseason, it could be used here. Last season, the Cavs signed Kendrick Perkins after he was bought out by the Utah Jazz, a deal ending with minimally positive results.
Still that amount, coupled with the two more important trade exceptions from the Brendan Haywood and Mike Miller deal with the Portland Trail Blazers — $10.5 million for Haywood and $2.8 million for Miller — still offer Cleveland general manager David Griffin plenty of flexibility for a deal. One key thing to remember is that each of the exceptions is separate, with no combination of two or more deals possible.
Who Griffin ends up getting could conceivably spell the difference between winning an NBA title and coming up short again. Here are a list of 10 players who may be on the Cavaliers’ radar:
1. Trevor Ariza, SF, Houston Rockets
The Cavaliers once tried to sign him as a free agent, but now could potentially be able to pick him up in a deadline deal. The Rockets have been a major disappointment, and Ariza has $15.22 million over two years left on his contract after this season.
He puts up modest offensive numbers, but also brings a strong defensive mindset to the court. His work on the wing is considered invaluable, even if the results aren’t on display this season in Houston. That defense, coupled with Iman Shumpert’s skills could pay off come playoff time.
Next: Darrell Arthur
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