NBA Trade Rumors 2014: Cleveland Cavaliers Could Trade Luol Deng To Mavericks, Bobcats, Spurs Before Deadline
Luol Deng might not be done moving yet.
The Cleveland Cavaliers could trade the All-Star small forward, whom they acquired in an earlier trade this season with the Chicago Bulls, A source close to situation reported on Friday.
The Cavaliers are in the midst of a terrible season, despite bringing in several players to boost their playoff chances this year. With their playoff hopes slowly slipping away, the Cavs decided to fire general manager Chris Grant, a move seen by NBA analysts as a sign of a major overhaul set to happen within the franchise over the next few months.
Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders reported the Cavaliers could trade everyone on their roster, except point guard Kyrie Irving. Thus, the possibility of Deng being traded again before the February 20 trade deadline is not a stretch.
"Deng was acquired one month ago by the Cavaliers, and is reportedly unhappy in Cleveland (describing the team as a "mess" to friends). The veteran small forward can be traded again before the deadline, but he can't be packaged with another player from the Cavaliers," Kennedy stressed.
There are also reports of Deng's growing disinterest in the franchise, prompting speculation that the small forward won't re-sign with the Cavaliers when he becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer.
"The stuff going on in practice would never be tolerated by the coaching staff or the front office back in Chicago. It's a mess," Deng reportedly told a confidante via Mitch Lawrence of New York Daily News.
Getting Value For Deng
The Cavaliers might have solved their Andrew Bynum problem by hooking up with the Bulls for Deng on January 9, but they also lost two future first-round picks.
As the franchise look to push the restart button, many analysts predicted the Cavs will deal Deng in exchange for assets such as draft picks or a solid young player.
The Dallas Mavericks, Charlotte Bobcats and San Antonio Spurs are expected to be buyers on the trade front with roughly two weeks left in the trade period. And all of them would make ideal destinations for Deng, though a trade to San Antonio would bolster the defending Western Conference champions' chances of returning to the NBA Finals this season.