Mo Williams just had to retire, didn’t he?
Had he stuck with the Cleveland Cavaliers, LeBron James and friends would have repped perhaps the most complete team in the NBA. Sure, they lost Matthew Dellavedova to the Milwaukee Bucks. But they still would have had a backup point guard to soak up playmaking duties behind Kyrie Irving and LeBron James. Right now, they have rookie Kay Felder and, well, that’s about it. Iman Shumpert kind of counts, but he’s no point guard.
And so, with that in mind, the Cavaliers will take to the trade market in search of a backup point guard, according to Cleveland.com’s Joe Vardon:
This was never an issue when Dellavedova was in the fold the past two seasons. He backed up Irving and manned the second unit with James, and together they were dangerous.
The Cavs could’ve matched the four-year, $39 million offer sheet Dellavedova signed with the Bucks as a restricted free agent over the summer, but team sources say doing so would’ve cost the Cavs $40 million annually in luxury taxes.
Instead, they’ll now try to seek a backup point guard via trade in the coming weeks.
The Cavaliers don’t have much to offer in the way of a trade. They cannot trade a first-round pick until 2021 and only have a few second-round selections at their disposal. Player-wise, they’ve got nothing. Williams’ $2-plus million salary can be used for matching purposes if need be, but a team has to be looking for financial relief or something. Mike Dunleavy might have some value, but J.R. Smith’s injury and shooting slump makes him necessary insurance. Shumpert has a ton of value now that he’s shooting above 40 percent from three, but the Cavaliers’ defense is bad enough this season and can’t afford to dump him.
That leaves trade exceptions. The Cavaliers have a bunch and could surf the market for a team that’s just looking to dump a point guard. Some options might include Devin Harris of the Dallas Mavericks or Marcelo Huertas of the Los Angeles Lakers. If the Mavericks ever enter full-on tank mode, Deron Williams *might* become an option.
The list of real options is, obviously, unclear. But you can bet on the Cavaliers trading for another playmaker before February’s trade deadline.
