One trade every NBA team needs to make
By Tom West
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cavaliers could be placed among the select group of teams in the NBA that don’t need to make a trade. They have talent galore and, as a presumptive lock for the Finals, should be ok, right? Theoretically, yes. Yet, even after firing David Blatt and earning an impressive win against the Spurs, the Cavs still have moments when they look underwhelming. Losses to the Hornets and Celtics, have made at least that much clear.
At the very least, they aren’t consistent and dominant enough to be able to overcome a team like the Warriors in a seven-game series. This can’t just be changed with another trade, as sometimes reaching another level comes down to effort, team cohesion, chemistry and nothing more. With that in mind, trading Kevin Love may not be the answer, even if they can land a few good players in return who enable their defense to handle the Warriors and guys like Draymond Green.
Until any significant rumors emerge on the matter of Love’s future, though, let’s consider another target who’s actually caught their interest: Jared Dudley.
According to Brian Windhorst of ESPN, Dudley is someone the Cavs are pursuing:
"The Cavs would love to get their hands on Jared Dudley."
"They tried to trade for Jared Dudley. They kicked around trading for Jared Dudley last summer."
Of course, Dudley won’t fix all the Cavs’ problems against the NBA’s utmost elite. That being said, he’s another great option they can use in smaller lineups as a stretch power forward (if Love is on the bench or at center) and he’s a reliable, smart defender, which is exactly the kind of role player the Cavs could benefit from.
Dudley is third in the NBA this season with a three-point percentage of 46.3, and on defense he even holds opponents just below their average shooting mark on two-point attempts.
It won’t be easy for the Cavaliers to bring Dudley (a starter) away from the Wizards, but if they try to tempt them with a defensive upgrade like Timofey Mozgov, maybe they can make something happen.
Next: Los Angeles Lakers