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The trading season is fast approaching in the NBA, and the Cavs are in a position where they have some key assets that will be sought by other teams. Many teams that have slipped out of the race for this season, and are looking to set their table for future seasons will be looking at teams like the Cavaliers to try and help them get positioned.
Of course, what the teams' personnel men will be looking for are three asset types. 1) Young prospects that are currently on rookie contracts with more than a year left on their original contracts,2) Veteran players that may have larger contracts, but are set to expire after this season, 3) future draft picks.
The Cavaliers are one of the teams that fit the profile that these teams will look to contact because we have all three assets at our disposal.
But, Danny Ferry and the Cavaliers are in the best of positions, in that, we truly are positioned beautifully in terms of being leveraged just right heading into any trade discussions. We don't absolutely have to make a move. We have some very justifiable reasons for only having to make a move if and only if we have a deal that is perfect for our needs.
Something that would be very much along the lines of the Mo Williams trade we worked out in this past offseason, is what we will be looking to get accomplished. But, if we don't find that perfect match, we have no qualms either, about continuing on with exactly what we have laid out right now.
What we have had since training camp broke, and the season started, is a unit that has developed flawless chemistry, and has continually and steadily built upon the strong start they have gotten off to. As good as we have been, we have continued to get better and better as the season has progressed.
In looking at our entire roster, I believe Danny Ferry does see some issues that, even though they may not be pressing in terms of need this season, could become big issues if injuries happen to pop up later on this season, or in future seasons.
Those issues are centered primarily amongst our power forward, and center positions. Although our two primary concerns, Ben Wallace and Zydrunas Ilgauskas are having arguably the best seasons they've enjoyed in recent memory, if not their entire careers. They have recent age, and injury issues that could show up at any given moment, given that they are back related.
Whenever a player gets over the age of 30, and has amongst their injury concerns issues involving the back, it is considered a big red flag in terms of the probability that at some point during a long season, they will eventually have some flair ups along the way.
Now, the issues that play into these concerns are our depth issues both in the present, and future. In the present, although we appear to have had a very successful draft this past offseason, in acquiring JJ Hickson in round one, and Darnell Jackson in round two. They both aren't players that have developed enough, or have nearly the experience required to be depended upon if needed during a playoff run towards a championship. They may very well be seen as future core pieces that can be part of our future,but, that future isn't here yet for them.
The strong available depth at our disposal is basically Anderson Varejao. A player who has some contractual issues, as well, that could leave us even more vulnerable in future seasons.
The only other safety vavle is to use more of Lebron at the PF position, if an injury hits. But, that would leave a hole at SF then ....
Varejao has an "out" option in his current contract at season's end, and if he chooses to use that opt out in his contract, he could possibly end up leaving for another team after this season.
Although both sides of that equation have made it known to each other that they prefer to get something done, until it is sign, sealed, and delivered ....it is a considerable risk that we need to have some insurance policies in place on the roster, just in case our worst fears are realized.
So, with that said, I have laid out the reasons why a possible trade is and isn't necassaarily needed at this precise time. But, if one comes along that can keep our continuity in check to a large degree, and still fill some current or future need, then we have to look at any of those possibilities very seriously.
In looking at our curent roster, our key player rotation is our starting five, and their reserves of :
Zydrunas Ilgauskas
Lebron James
Mo Williams
Delonte West
Ben Wallace
Anderson Varejao
Sasha Pavlovic
Wally Sczcerbiak
Danny Gibson
The core pieces that Danny Ferry would prefer to keep in tact moving forward would likely be Ilgauskas, James, Williams, West, Gibson, Wallace, Varejao, Gibson, and our two rookies, JJ Hickson, and Darnell Jackson.
The members of our roster that could be looked at as trade alternatives would be: Szczerbiak, because he would offer teams a large expiring contract that would be of desire, Pavlovic, who would offer teams a young, cap friendly player with good ability in conjunction with his salary figure, and then we have the two rookies who both would be very difficult for us to let go of. In order for us to ever look to let one of them go in a trade, we would have to get back not only quality, but, quality for a decent time frame. We'd have to get back an entity that would be a core piece for more than must 2-3 years ... JJ Hickson would be seen to have far more value, than Jackson. But similar rules apply to both in that we value them as very solid future core pieces for us, and we absolutely won't entertain putting them in a trade proposal for anything that would be of just short-term benefit.
We'd look to press more towards future draft picks than include either of them in a trade offer.
We will also try to look at different options as well. If we can find an adequate insurance policy type player, like a Joe Smith for a reasonable cost ...that would be a more favoreable way to fill a possible roster weakness in the short term, without using our best assets towards a big man.
If we could somehow get a scenario like that to play out, then we might have the luxury of using the Szczerbiak contract, and some other assets to try and find us a large talent upgrade at the SG spot, or SF/SG type swing player that could provide us greater player rotation options and flexibility.
I can say that Danny Ferry is going to think very conservatively in terms of shaking up the roster. He wants to disturb the roster, especially the key playing roster, as little as humanly possible, as he evaluates all the options that will be coming our way.
One thing I will guarantee you will not see is a large turnover like we saw last season at the deadline. We simply won't entertain any trade proposals of that nature. It will have to involve the players I mentioned as available above, or some of the non-vital roster members that wren't even listed like Kinsey, Jawad Williams, etc ...
But, the key areas that wil be looked at will most notably be some form of insurance, or player upgrade amongst our bigs, and possibly an overall talent upgrade that leans towards a multi-faceted type player that can work between shooting guard and small forward.
I can't see any other trade being considered, at least during this coming trade season.
I do foresee alot of trades being discussed, and in evaluating what you hear in terms of all the rumors that will be swirling around the Cavaliers ....keep these points that I've made in mind, and you will likely be able to differentiate between the ones that hold water, and the ones that are just blowing smoke.
