Report: Cavs eyeing Robert Covington ahead of trade deadline

The NBA trade deadline is approaching, which means it is a busy time of the year for teams with playoff aspirations.

The Cleveland Cavaliers appear to be well on their way to the playoffs this season, and as a result, they have been involved in some interesting trade rumors.

According to a recent report, the Cavs are among the teams that have “called to express interest” in Portland Trail Blazers veteran Robert Covington.

“Several teams have called to express interest in trading for Robert Covington, including the Utah Jazz, as Marc Stein first reported, the Minnesota Timberwolves, Cleveland Cavaliers, and others have also reached out, league sources told HoopsHype,” Michael Scotto reported during a podcast.

Covington has logged substantial playing time for the Blazers this season. He has appeared in 44 games, started 36 of them and is getting 29.3 minutes of action per contest.

The 31-year-old is averaging 7.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game on the season. He is only knocking down 39.0 percent of his shots from the field, but he does have the ability to stretch the floor. He is a 35.1 percent 3-point shooter this season.

The Blazers don’t appear to be title contenders this season, and injuries haven’t helped their cause. Most notably, Damian Lillard has appeared in just 29 games, and it seems like he might be done for the season.

Portland has an underwhelming 20-27 record at the moment. While the team would make the play-in if the season were to end today, a deep playoff run seems very unlikely.

For those reasons, it would not come as a total surprise to see the team trade away some players at the deadline. It is unclear exactly what the Cavs would have to give up to get someone like Covington, but it is certainly something to keep an eye on.