Reports: Cavaliers 'vaguely' discuss possible trade deals for Kemba Walker
What's the story?
The Cleveland Cavaliers discuss possible deals with the Charlotte Hornets in search of some sort of trade to rescue their sinking ship.
In case you didn't know...
The Cavaliers have lost 12 of their last 18 games including their humiliating 120-88 loss to the visiting Houston Rockets on primetime Saturday night. They are tied with the Washington Wizards for the third spot in the Eastern Conference and only 1.5 games ahead of the Milwaukee Bucks, who sit in the fifth seed.
The heart of the matter...
As the Cleveland Cavaliers look to do any sort of deal before Thursday's NBA mid-season trade deadline, they have “talked at-least vaguely” with the Charlotte Hornets as reported by ESPN.com’s Zack Lowe on Monday. Lowe discussed a trade that would send Isaiah Thomas, the Brooklyn Nets’ first-round draft pick and enough salaries to match the package of Kemba Walker and Nicola Batum in return.
However, the Hornets might not be content with anything except the Nets pick, Lowe added. Even if the Cavaliers are able to complete the deal, it’s hard to see how adding Walker and Batum are enough for them to close the gap between them and the Golden State Warriors.
If the Cavs go ahead with the deal, they could be heading into the 2018-19 season without the Nets pick and LeBron James. In that case, they would have to build around Walker and Kevin Love with lesser depth while owning $76.7 million to Batum.
Charlotte Hornets’ team owner, Michael Jordan, told Charlotte Observer’s Rick Bonnell that they not be open to any trade unless they receive an All-Star in return for Walker, with San Antonio Spurs’ Kawhi Leonard specially mentioned.
The Cavs need to have some sort of contingency plan in the event James decide to leave in the offseason. The Nets pick seems to be their best chance of rebuilding.
What's next?
The Cleveland Cavaliers go to Orlando to play the Magic on Tuesday.
Author's take
LeBron James is one of the greatest players to have played the game. LeBron has still shown that he can play at MVP level and therefore the Cavaliers should try all means possible to keep him in Cleveland.