NBA Trade Rumors: Could Dion Waiters end up in Philadelphia?
While Andrew Wiggins is getting all of the attention in trade rumors, the other shooting guard on the Cleveland Cavaliers is also a coveted asset. In Sam Amico’s run down of the Cleveland Cavaliers summer, he reveals the Philadelphia 76ers could emerge as the possible third team in the Cleveland-Minnesota talks as they posses a strong liking for Dion Waiters.
"On top of all that, there are league-wide whispers of a third team perhaps getting involved in a potential Cavs-Wolves deal, whispers of the 76ers possessing a strong interest in Cavs guard Dion Waiters, whispers of another major transaction on the way. Yeah. Unreal."
Since being drafted, Dion Waiters has been a bit underrated in the NBA. A lot of that has to do with him struggling to fit alongside Cavs star Kyrie Irving, but once you take a step back and look at his game and numbers, you see a better player than you realize.
Last season, the 2012 fourth overall pick in Waiters averaged 15.9 points on 43/36/68 shooting splits along with 2.8 rebounds and 3.0 assist per game. If he finds himself on the right roster with a coaching staff that could properly utilize his skillset (scorer, secondary ball-handler, defense), Waiters could emerge as one of the best young shooting guards in the NBA.
At this moment, Jason Richardson is the only “true” shooting guard on the 76ers meaning a trade would force Waiters into the starting lineup, pairing up with Michael Carter-Williams in the backcourt.
The longer the Kevin Love rumors linger, the more interesting scenarios reveal themselves. Even with Waiters, the 76ers are far from making the playoffs, but he’d be an interesting fit on an interesting team headed in an interesting direction.