Cavaliers looking to acquire Jordan and Williams from Clippers
What's the story?
The Cleveland Cavaliers are looking to acquire DeAndre Jordan and Lou Williams from the Los Angeles Clippers.
In case you didn't know...
According to EPSN.com's Dave McMenamin, Cavaliers' "several prominent players" have "expressed doubt that the problem—an aging roster, defensively challenged personnel and a glut of redundant role players—could simply be worked out through patience and a chance to coalesce when fully healthy,".
The heart of the matter
According to New York Times' Marc Stein, the Cavaliers have "registered trade interest" in Clippers center DeAndre Jordan and guard Lou Williams and have included center Tristan Thompson and swingman J.R. Smith in "various trade proposals" to complete the trade ahead of NBA' s Feb 8 trade deadline. But a deal is not expected to be completed in the near future according to Sam Amick of USA Today.
Yahoo Sports' Shams Charania first reported on Friday and was later confirmed by Stein that Cleveland has "expressing interest" in a possible trade to acquire Sacramento Kings point guard George Hill to stabilize their backcourt.
According to NBA.com's David Aldridge, the Cavs "definitely" inquired about Williams but told "talks so far have stalled" since the Clippers asked for the Brooklyn Nets' unprotected 2018 first-round pick in return. He further reported via Twitter that Clippers and Williams remain engaged in discussions regarding a contract extension.
On Jan. 6, the Plain Dealer's Terry Pluto wrote the Clippers "would strongly consider"moving the big man if the Cavaliers included the lottery selection but cautioned "the Cavs don't plan to trade that pick.".
The Milwaukee Bucks, according to Racine Journal Times' Gery Woelfel, are also "keenly interested" in acquiring Jordan but are not the front-runners in the race anymore.
What's next?
The Cavaliers are 3-8 in their last 11 games, dating back to the Christmas game (against the Golden State Warriors) and are really struggling to find any kind of rhythm. The Cavaliers take on the Oklahoma City Thunder (25-20) on Saturday.
Author's take
The Cavaliers might just have to use the Brooklyn draft pick if they need to improve their current roster and have any chance of winning the NBA Finals.