With the NBA's trading deadline less than a week away, the Cavaliers have cast lines out across the league. Now they're sitting back waiting to see if anyone bites.
There's a good possibility no one will.
Despite being one of the more active teams, the uncertainty surrounding the collective bargaining agreement and the likelihood of a lockout after the season is hindering the Cavs' ability to maneuver before Thursday's 3 p.m. deadline.
Barring the unforeseen, Antawn Jamison and Mo Williams will both be Cavaliers after the deadline, according to multiple league sources. Williams is still due about $17 million for the next two seasons and has been injured most of this year, and Jamison's
$15 million salary for next season has scared off potential suitors.
The possibility of a hard cap and the overall uncertainty of how the salary cap will be structured in the new CBA has left teams hesitant to take on large contracts. Not to mention both Jamison and Williams have defensive issues, and both are having the worst shooting seasons of their careers.
Two players drawing the most interest are Anthony Parker and Ramon Sessions, but the Cavs could keep both players for varying reasons. Sessions is only 23 and blossoming into an important piece in the Cavs' rebuilding efforts.
Parker is a high-character guy and good in the locker room, and he is making less than $3 million on an expiring deal. The Cavs have been rumored to be in talks with the Chicago Bulls for Parker, perhaps for a second-round pick. But one league source said the Cavs would like to bring Parker back next season and wouldn't trade him for a pick they could simply purchase on draft night. Whether or not Parker has any interest in re-signing with a rebuilding team remains to be seen.
Even if the Cavs swing and miss between now and Thursday, they still have plenty of available moves before the June draft. They could purchase one or more draft picks on draft night, and their $14.5 million trade exception is still good until July 11.
If the New Jersey Nets can convince Carmelo Anthony to be the team's centerpiece (see below), the Cavs can work into it with their trade exception and take on Troy Murphy's expiring contract for one or two of the Nets' four available first-round picks.
The large trade exception the Cavs hold isn't as valuable as it would've been two years ago, when nearly every team in the league was throwing big contracts overboard in order to clear space for the free-agent bonanza during the summer of 2010.
Now the Cavs have to decide exactly what their trade exception is worth. They have used the 2007 trade of Kurt Thomas as their benchmark to this point.
The Seattle SuperSonics used a trade exception four years ago to take on Thomas' hefty contract from the Phoenix Suns, but it also netted them two first-round draft picks. All it cost them was the trade exception and a second-round pick.
If the Cavs fail to use their trade exception prior to Thursday, various sources believe it could gain value this summer as the draft nears and teams try to shed costly veterans.
Bottom line: If the trade deadline comes and goes Thursday without the Cavs making any significant moves, they still have time to get something done before the draft. If nothing else, Dan Gilbert's checkbook could be enough to acquire multiple picks on draft night.
Talking 'Melo
All Cavs fans should be rooting for Carmelo Anthony to wind up with the New Jersey Nets, since the Cavs could be part of closing the potential deal.
The Cavs believed they were close to a three-team deal earlier this season that would've sent Anthony from the Denver Nuggets to the Nets in exchange for Derrick Favors and draft picks, according to one league source.
That deal unraveled for multiple reasons, one of which was the fact the Nuggets wanted to keep all of the Nets' available draft picks for themselves, instead of flipping one or two of them to the Cavs for taking on Troy Murphy's $12 million expiring contract.
Now that the teams are talking again, the Nuggets appear more willing to give up one or two picks to a third team in order to get something done.
But the Cavs — who haven't heard from the Nets or Nuggets since they resumed negotiations, according to a league source — are only a match if the Nuggets deal with the Nets. They would be cut out of any potential deal with the New York Knicks, who continue to believe they have the inside track on Anthony.
The Daily News reported Anthony met with Knicks owner James Dolan on Thursday in Los Angeles, then Dolan and team president Donnie Walsh held a conference call Friday with Nuggets officials.
The Nets are still hoping to get their one-on-one time with Anthony, when owner Mikhail Prokhorov is expected to try to sell Anthony on his long-term vision, similar to how he tried to persuade LeBron James last summer at the free-agent meetings in downtown Cleveland.
Ironically, the Nets were the first team to meet with James, and the Knicks were second. Now both teams are courting Anthony in a similar fashion, but the Knicks reportedly went first.
One league source believes Anthony will never agree to a deal with the Nets, and he is simply leveraging them to increase the Knicks' offer. Anthony doesn't care about the compensation the Nuggets would receive, according to the source, but he wants to be traded to the Knicks now, rather than wait until this summer and sign with them as a free agent.
Anthony could sign a three-year extension with the Knicks now worth $65 million. He would sacrifice millions if he went to New York as a free agent this summer.
Stay patient
The Cavs have been adamant they aren't going to be rash and make a move just to make a move. Once the season ends, they believe they'll be in a pretty good position moving forward.
They'll have a high draft pick in the first round, they might still have the trade exception (if they don't use it this week), they have young players with high ceilings such as J.J. Hickson, Christian Eyenga and Ramon Sessions and they have flexibility within the salary cap, since Jamison will have an expiring contract next season.
The worst thing the Cavs could do is make a quick-fix trade now that mucks up that future flexibility. That's why they're staying patient and waiting for the right deal to present itself.
Around the league
The rumor mill is cranking up, but the first domino that must fall is likely Anthony. Then a few other minor deals around the league might fall into place.
According to Yahoo Sports, the Atlanta Hawks are shopping Marvin Williams, the Los Angeles Clippers are shopping Rasual Butler, the Los Angeles Lakers want rid of Ron Artest, the Detroit Pistons are still trying to move Richard Hamilton and nearly the entire Charlotte Bobcats roster is available.
The problem for most of those teams is the length of contract and amount of money still owed to most of those players.
