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Does Utah hold the key to Cleveland's future?

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Smooth

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As of writing this post, it's obvious the one lacking piece to the Cavs core right now is a player down low... The Cavs have their leader and #1 option in Kyrie Irving... And they hopefully have another facilitator and secondary scoring option (#2 or #3) in Dion Waiters... Outside of that on the roster, there isn't any real players in the way of guys who can really get their own shot, do it well and do it at a high rate... While the Cavs have drafted Zeller and Thompson, they aren't players who will be built around but rather be built with... What the Cavs are lacking right now is that 3rd piece they can really build with..

So with that being said, insert the Utah Jazz... The Jazz are a perfect storm brewing for the Cavaliers and where they're at in their development... What the Cavaliers lack is what the Jazz have in excess of... And what the Jazz have in excess of will need to get moved... Here's what I'm referring to:

As the NBA season gets under way, there are already names we know will come up when the February trade deadline approaches. At that point, we will start seeing trade rumors fill our Twitter timelines and RSS feeds.

When dealing with impending free agents, more and more teams are proactively shopping players early rather than running the risk of losing them to free agency.

Here's a look at some players who are priced to move:

Al Jefferson | C | 2013 UFA | 2012-13 salary: $15 million
Paul Millsap | PF | 2013 UFA | 2012-13 salary: $8.6 million

While the Utah Jazz aren't projected to be a taxpayer, as a small market team it has to exercise extreme caution and be more proactive in shaping its future. With two promising big men in Derrick Favors and Enes Kanter, it would not be prudent to lock into long-term, lucrative deals with players who play the same position, particularly with more than $35 million in projected cap space that could be used to address more glaring needs in the backcourt.

Millsap is the more versatile of the two; Utah's best producing plus-minus lineups feature Millsap at small forward. He is the face of the Jazz, a blue-collar worker who sets the tone in the locker room and has improved his skill level steadily since entering the league in 2006. High motor and good lateral mobility make him a good defender in the pick-and-roll. On the flip side, he is undersized as a power forward and a below-average defensive rebounder. Although a much-improved perimeter shooter, his range is still inconsistent at the 3-point line.
Jefferson

Jefferson is a bruising post presence with an array of exaggerated shot fakes and unorthodox shot release points around the rim, good footwork and touch. He is an outstanding defensive rebounder and decent shot-blocker, but that's where the praise ends for him on the defensive end. He is often slow on rotations and lacks awareness on the weak side. It also bears mentioning that although Jefferson has been the franchise player on his team for much of his eight-year career, he has been to the playoffs just twice. For a guy looking to get paid as a franchise player, winning has to factor into the price tag.

Both players are looking to be paid handsomely, particularly Millsap, who can legitimately claim to be one of the few players who have been underpaid on two contracts. If Utah had to choose one to keep, it would probably be Millsap for his ability to slide to small forward and the culture-setting he brings, but that's what makes him a more attractive trade piece in terms of getting value back. If they don't move one of the two, there's a huge chance they won't be able to retain them in free agency, because there will be suitors.

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/stor...llsap-al-jefferson-players-most-likely-traded

Looking around the NBA, there aren't many viable, young big men ready to step in and become a core piece... Actually let me rephrase that: there are few and far between... And those that could be considered for that role are either not available or far out of reach... With the Jazz, that isn't the case..

With the Jazz, there is no way Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap will be on this team next year... none.. Both could be gone but more than likely it'll be one or the other... The Jazz have too much invested in the development of Enes Kanter and Derrick Favors to pay both Jefferson and Millsap with how they'll likely be paid this off-season... Not to mention, Mo Williams will also be a free-agent and Marvin Williams could be looking for a new contract as well... So for a small-market team not in the championship run, they can't keep both Jefferson and Millsap...

That's where the Cavs need to step in and take advantage of this... The Jazz are in a position where they risk losing one of these players for nothing next off-season... The Cavs are also in a position where they need a low-post scorer to add to their core... And unless they get a top-5 pick, I'm having a hard time seeing where they're going to get that in the future... What is so great about the situation with the Jazz is that Jefferson and Millsap are both proven scorers who are entering their prime.... Meaning they still have plenty of time left and will likely accelerate the process of our development...

I've gone back and forth on who I'd prefer the Cavs to go after... I have to think that Jefferson will be easier to get from the Jazz since I think he'll likely command more money from the Jazz whereas Millsap would command less and might actually be the player who fits in better and would be a better value for the Jazz going forward... But I do think both of them will be available... Both of them have their strengths and weaknesses as a player and as a fit for this team going forward... Jefferson would slide in nicely to give this team a legit post threat and has experience shouldering the load... He and Thompson would compliment each other well in the frontcourt... Millsap on the other hand would force Thompson to the bench, which I'm not sure Grant would be high on doing with Thompson just in his 2nd year... But he provides a more versatile threat for the Cavs as opposed to Jefferson... On defense, Jefferson is a good rebounder and decent shot-blocker but I worry a bit about interior defense with Irving and Waiters as perimeter defenders... Meanwhile, I think Millsap is the better defender but doesn't have the size and length like Jefferson... Jefferson isn't a typical center but he has the size and length to be an effective new-wave center...

So my point of this is: the Cavs NEED to strike while the iron is hot... I'm not sure what type of deal it would take to pull this off with many different factors (Utah being in the playoff race but I'm sure they're cognizant of the fact they will lose one for nothing) but it's something that needs to be done in my eyes... Like I said, neither is a perfect player but the opportunity to get a good, young, offensive big to fit into your core for years at a good price doesn't come along often...
 
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Here's the issue with adding Jefferson (or any big FA/FA-to-be), from Terry Pluto:

"Here's another negative about the new labor agreement. There is a thing called the "designated player." That allows you to offer him a five-year, $80 million deal. That's one player per team. All other players can only have a four-year extension. When the Thunder signed Westbrook to the five-year deal, he became the designated player. That meant Harden could only be offered four years by Oklahoma City. But he could receive the Houston offer -- the Rockets didn't have a designated player. Now, the Cavs have a young star in 2012 Rookie of the Year Kyrie Irving. He is paid $5.4 million this season, then $5.6 million in 2013-14 and $7.1 million in 2014-15. Rules prevent the Cavs from offering Irving an extension until he's played at least three seasons ... or in the summer of 2014. You can be sure Irving will be the designated player and offered the five-year, $80 million maximum contract as soon as possible."

If the Cavaliers give someone else a five year max deal, they won't be able to offer it to Irving.
 
Let me clarify.

Um, no.

Our future is not fucking Al Jefferson and to say such is treason.
 
I wouldn't mind having them obviously, but what would we give up to get them? They don't need Varejao, who is our main trading piece. I doubt Grant would give up many of the picks he's put together and reduce the huge cap room he's earned. I just think the front office has no plan on making any big trades for another key player (although I wouldn't be surprised if we went after some more draft picks) at the deadline this year or anytime during this season.
 
Millsap maybe, Jefferson F()CK NO.

Edit: And if we really wanted Jefferson we could have drafted him in '04.
 
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Jefferson is a good offensive player, has range to his jumper, still relatively young and fits nicely next to TT or Andy. He is overpaid, but almost all big men who can score are. I know he stinks defensively, but if the price is right, this is the type of player that is ripe for picking up. He is 4 times as good as when we got Jamison, shoots near 50%, (i know only ok for a big man) a decent rebounder, I just dont see why you guys dont like the idea.
 
I wouldnt be upset with Millsap, but I guess it's all about what he would cost either in a trade or to sign him. He's not a guy I'd bomb my salary cap for, that much is certain.
 
Jefferson's injury history scares the shit out of me.
 
Smooth Im normally right on the same page as you, but I've said this every time an Al Jefferson thread pops up...

The Cavs already declined trading for Jefferson during Byron's first year because Scott said he doesnt fit his system. They could have got him relatively cheaply and decided against it so Jefferson was traded to Utah. Now, maybe the team makeup has changed and he might fit a bit better, but Im still not seeing it as Scott's system hasnt changed much at all.

Millsap would be a great complimentary piece, but I would hate to count on him to be the every day third piece. Ideally he is more of your fourth option or first guy off the bench.
 
Stop. Talking, About. All. Jefferson.

Christ on a stick.
 
I just don't want to give up any assets for Big Al or Millsap. I say hold on to everything until the right deal presents itself.
 
Maybe they will take CJ back???
 
Jefferson is exactly the wrong type of big for the Cavs style of play. From what we've seen so far this year, Scott wants constant penetration from Waiters and Irving via a steady diet of high pick and rolls as well as getting out in transition as much as possible. A pick and roll big who can step out and hit the jumper as well as roll hard to the rim seems to be what we're looking for on offense, and ideally he'd be a great shot blocker on defense as we currently have none to speak of. If we got Jefferson he'd slow down our offense, crowd the paint, and he's not a good enough shotblocker to majorly help us on D.
 
It wont matter who plays down low when LBJ is back here in a few years
 
Big Al coming here would probably make us a top 4 seed but never an elite team...we're better off drafting a stud big in the 2013 draft and keep building this team a la OKC...
 

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