Report: Cavs could trade Ricky Rubio and 1st-round pick for backcourt help, linked to 2 veteran guards

The NBA trade deadline is approaching, which means it’s a pivotal time of the year for teams with playoff hopes.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are certainly one of those teams, and it’ll be very interesting to see what they do ahead of the Feb. 10 deadline.

Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report recently offered some insight into the direction the Cavs might go. He explained that Cleveland will “explore avenues” to trade Ricky Rubio and a protected first-round draft pick to try to add some help in the backcourt.

It sounds like Eric Gordon is a name to keep an eye on.

“The Cavaliers don’t project to be very aggressive in the coming weeks, but they will explore avenues to move Ricky Rubio and a protected first-rounder in an effort to net backcourt reinforcements, such as Eric Gordon, following Rubio and Collin Sexton’s season-ending injuries,” wrote Fischer.

Fischer also explained that there’s a “strong possibility” the Boston Celtics will trade Dennis Schroder before the deadline, and Cleveland is apparently a potential destination for the guard.

“There’s a strong possibility Dennis Schroder is traded ahead of the deadline,” Fischer wrote. “Boston is expected to avoid the tax and therefore likely won’t be able to afford the point guard this offseason, which was also why the Celtics moved Daniel Theis to the [Chicago] Bulls last season. New York, Cleveland and Dallas have been mentioned as potential destinations for Schroder.”

After losing Sexton and Rubio for the season, the Cavs would definitely be wise to add backcourt help. Rajon Rondo has made a nice impact so far, but another key addition would make a lot of sense.

Gordon and Schroder are a couple of interesting options.

Gordon has appeared in 36 games for the Houston Rockets this season and started 25 of them. He’s averaging 14.8 points, 1.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game while shooting 50.0 percent from the field and 45.2 percent from deep.

As for Schroder, he’s in his first season with the Celtics, but it seems like he might not spend all of the 2021-22 campaign with Boston. The 28-year-old is averaging 16.1 points, 3.3 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game while shooting 43.7 percent from the field and 34.2 percent on 3-pointers.