LeBron James must really want the Cleveland Cavaliers to land a point guard.
Because the team is apparently interested in trading for 32-year-old Deron Williams, according to USA Today‘s Sam Amick:
The Cavs could take the trade route too, of course, and they are known to have inquired about the Dallas Mavericks’ Deron Williams. The 32-year-old, three-time All-Star is in the final year of his deal ($9 million), and it’s worth noting that Dallas has shown interest in the Cavs’ Iman Shumpert previously when he was a free agent (he’s owed a combined $31 million for this season and the next two, with a player option for 2018-19).
The Cavaliers no longer have a single trade exception that can absorb Williams’ $9 million, so Shumpert would almost have to be part of any deal. And including him would be way short sighted. He is more than a half-decade Williams’ junior, on a reasonably priced pact through 2018-19 (player option) and profiles as one of Cleveland’s most valuable defenders—particularly now, with J.R. Smith watching from the sidelines.
This may all be moot. According to the Star-Telegram‘s Dwaine Price, the Dallas Mavericks aren’t interested in dealing Williams, nor is he interested in a buyout. Dallas might change its tune if another 26-year-old three-and-D project is thrown onto their table, but Cleveland can’t actually be that desperate. Williams does nothing to help their defense, which has been spotty in transition, and rolling with a backup backcourt rotation headlined by Kyle Korver and Williams is suicide on the less-glamorous end.
More likely than not, the Cavaliers will be left to pick from the shallow pool of free agents. Waiting for the buyout market to develop after the trade deadline is also a possibly, but LeBron hasn’t sounded like a guy who’s about to exude enough patience for that.
