Cleveland Cavs Trade Talk: 5 Cavaliers Trade Targets

PG Deron Williams

The Dallas Mavericks are terrible and an aging Deron Williams–making $10 million this season–won’t making them any better. Williams, 32, is averaging 13.9 points and seven assists per game while shooting 43 percent. He’s also posting his best assist percentage (39.36) since the 2011-2012 campaign.

If Dallas is looking to make a salary dump, the Cleveland Cavaliers should pounce on the opportunity. Like Rondo, Williams is an established presence in The Association — as well as a three time NBA All-Star. His current average of 30.4 minutes per contest would certainly decrease in Cleveland, but considering Williams’ recent struggles with injuries, it may be an enticing situation.

Williams is a one-year-Bird player, meaning he must approve of his destination. A reduced role and less wear on his body could lead to a career renaissance of sorts for Williams. Fifteen-to-twenty minutes per night of the 2010-2011 version of Deron Williams would make the Cavaliers second unit lethal.

The problem in trying to acquire Williams is money. The highest valued trade exception in Griffin’s war chest is $4.8 million. The Cavs would have to move someone on the roster, and they’re certainly not moving LeBron, Kyrie, Love or TT.  The next tier of money makers on the team include J.R. ($12.8 million), Shumpert (9.6 million), Frye (7.8 million) and Korver (5.2 million). Maybe Griffin believes dumping Shump or Frye for a point guard is necessary to repeat. Highly unlikely, but not impossible. Perhaps a third team would get involved and then Griffin could go full-blown David Blaine to pull of a deal.

If he pulls the right strings and there’s a deal on the table, Williams would be foolish to decline an opportunity to win a ring.