The Whiteboard: The Cleveland Cavaliers have some fun trade chips
By Ti Windisch
The Cleveland Cavaliers aren’t going to win a bunch of games this season, but the Cavs have some fun wings that could net them assets in the trade market.
The Cleveland Cavaliers did something they haven’t done much this season on Wednesday night when they won a game against the New York Knicks. Cleveland is 7-21 through nearly a third of its schedule, and even if Kevin Love gets healthy the Cavs aren’t anticipated to win a ton of games this season.
Even though the overall talent isn’t there in Cleveland, there are some fun wing players on the Cavaliers. Rodney Hood, Jordan Clarkson, Alec Burks and David Nwaba all could offer help to a contending team, and Cleveland probably doesn’t expect any of them to contribute to the Cavaliers long-term.
Hood and Clarkson both shined against the Knicks, with Clarkson posting 28 points, five rebounds and two assists and Hood hitting a clutch jumper with just 23 seconds left to punctuate his 23 point evening. Nwaba connected on a fast break dunk to ice the game when it was probably out of reach, irking the Knicks in the process.
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Burks had an off game, but his potential is still enticing enough. Cleveland might not move off of all four of those players, but any of them could net the Cavs a future draft pick if the right competitive team decided to take a shot on a young wing (or guard, in Clarkson’s case). None of the four are surefire starters anywhere, but they all seem like players any team would love to have as a ninth or tenth man.
The Cavaliers are obviously stuck in a jam with LeBron James leaving, but Cleveland has been smart to realize its best asset right now is veterans and cap space. Trading George Hill to Milwaukee for a pair of bad contracts in John Henson and Matthew Dellavedova, plus a pair of draft picks, signaled Cleveland’s willingness to prepare for the future. Trading some of their talented wing players would jive with that ethos too.
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