NBA 2018-19: 3 Players the Cavaliers need to trade away
While the Cleveland Cavaliers were aware that life after LeBron James would be tough, the team is struggling even worse than many anticipated. The team has won just three out of their seventeen games so far in the 18/19 NBA season, and the team has struggled to stay in games past the third quarter.
With the Cavaliers likely to tank for the remainder of the season, the teams best players are unlikely to want to stay, so the franchise may have a number of outgoings over the next few months. This list will count down three notable players that may be traded away as part of the Cavs rebuild, although JR Smith has not been included due to the fact that the franchise has already given him permission to leave.
#3 Larry Nance Jr.
Larry Nance Jr. has been relatively average since being acquired in a trade from the Lakers in early 2018. The 25-year-old averaged 8.9 points-per-game for the Cavs last season, although this tally is down to 7.0 for the 18/19 season.
The former Laker only signed a $44.8 million contract extension back in October. However, this may ultimately prove to be a bad move for the franchise. Nance is comfortable at both power forward and centre, however, the 2018 playoffs showed his limitations at both positions.
The Cavaliers have a lot of money invested in a player that is still coming off the bench, so if things do not improve over the next few months, the Cavs should look to get the player off their wage bill.
#2 Channing Frye
The Cavaliers move to acquire Channing Frye for the second time this summer looked to be a shrewd move at the time. The veteran big man has played as both a forward and a center, and he was expected to play good minutes in the rotation, while also helping the younger players in the locker room.
Frye has however been largely relegated to the sidelines, featuring in just three games so far in the 18/19 season. The 35-year-old demonstrated last season that he could still be effective from the bench, so although his return to the Cavs looks like a bust, Frye should have no trouble in finding a new team.