Cleveland Cavaliers rumors: NBA Insider says a trade is on the way
In Cleveland Cavaliers rumors, the organization is going to make a trade based off a source from an NBA executive.
New York Times basketball scribe Marc Stein tweeted the Cleveland Cavaliers will make a trade for the NBA’s trade deadline.
And that’s not even the biggest news surrounding the Cavaliers.
Following the Cavs’ latest loss to the Warriors, players spoke anonymously to a select few media outlets, voicing their belief that this team can’t win.
One trusted source pulled me aside at the @nbagleague Showcase last week in suburban Toronto and insisted that the Cavs will "definitely" swing at least one deal before the Feb. 8 trade deadline. But is there really one deal out there that closes this gap?
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) January 16, 2018
The Athletic’s Jason Lloyd wrote (subscription):
"“January swoons have become all too common around these parts. Every year about this time, the Cavs seem to unravel and all hope seems lost — and every June they wind up back in the Finals. Only now there is a growing concern within the locker room that this year might be different.Multiple prominent players acknowledged privately to The Athletic, Cleveland.com and ESPN that the problems now facing the Cavs might not be fixable.”"
Talk about a buzzkill to an NBA regular season that is still a long, long ways from completion.
The Cavs were extremely competitive most of the night. Their bench went cold, the Warriors pulled ahead and left the Q with a nice win. Losses like this happen. It’s January. There was a lot to like about some of the things they were doing as Cleveland even managed to hold a lead for most of the night.
But now, there’s this?
It’s disturbing because the easy thing to say is, “We’ll get ’em next time.”
However, it’s not surprising because early winter meltdowns are nothing new to this franchise.
Last January, LeBron James lamented how the roster was top heavy. Two seasons, ago, the Cavs fired their coach. Three seasons ago, the Cavs were 19-20.
Stein posed the question as to whether the Cavs are one move away from closing the gap on the Warriors?
The answer is easy: Yes.
The Cavs have the firepower to keep up with Golden State. Offense is the least of their concerns. However, defensively, the Cavs need to make a change. Adding a rim protector is obvious, although I won’t go as far to say that DeAndre Jordan is the answer.
Ideally, the Cavs will add more perimeter help. Trading for Paul George is a dream scenario, but it’s unclear as to whether the Thunder would deem their offseason experiment a failure by trading him to Cleveland.
George would likely cost the Brooklyn pick, which increases in value each time the Nets lose, but the vibe emanating out of the Cavs front office is that the pick won’t be moved.
Next: Why LeBron needs to share his plans with the Cavs
I won’t tell Cavs’ fans to relax, because there the pressure to win in LeBron’s contract year is high. With that said, take solace in knowing that Isaiah Thomas just got his first taste of the Warriors, and while he hasn’t been the addition some thought he’d be, remember, he played his first extended minutes Monday night in just his fifth game back from a major hip injury.