The Cleveland Cavaliers have been rumored to be looking at trade — and Iman Shumpert could be the next piece to go.
The NBA trade deadline is right around the corner, and we’re going to be hearing plenty of rumors ahead of the Thursday deadline when it comes to contending teams looking for a deal. One of those teams might be the Cleveland Cavaliers, who are looking to add one more piece to their championship roster in an effort to beat the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals this year — assuming they meet, like we’re expecting.
According to Marc Stein and Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com, the Cavaliers are shopping Iman Shumpert ahead of this Thursday’s trade deadline.
This is interesting, but it’s not surprising. One thing you can never count out is the possibility of David Griffin making a trade that no one sees coming. He’s been a part of moves in the past that have been shocking, from being in the front office when Luol Deng was acquired to bringing back LeBron and that whole J.R. Smith deal that brought Iman to Cleveland in the first place.
But if the Cavs are ready to make a deal that brings in a solid championship puzzle piece, then trading Shump makes sense. J.R. Smith isn’t going to command that high of return and Kevin Love is untouchable. Shumpert is still a young enough prospect with high enough of a ceiling that someone would happily take a chance on him. This all depends on who the Cavaliers want in return, as swinging a deal for a Ben McLemore or Markieff Morris might require more than Shump — and it might not.
That’s the glory of the trade deadline, as you never know what is going to happen until it happens — and most of the time you never see it coming.