The Cleveland Cavaliers are close. Yet, they are so far away. If the goal is to win an NBA championship, that is. We’re assuming that’s the goal. Otherwise, this team wouldn’t have acquired Donovan Mitchell last summer.
Now, they’re all in. The Cavaliers have a talented enough roster to compete for it all. On the other hand, this group is a little unbalanced. They have two starting-caliber bigs. Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley struggled to co-exist in this year’s playoffs.
The lack of shooting between the pair led to offensive struggles against the New York Knicks in the first round. There was also a clear lack of reliable talent on the wing. They didn’t have a trustworthy closing lineup option that could catch-and-shoot or contain on defense.
What if there was a dynamic option available that not only checks those two boxes, but brings many additional dimensions to a team? There just might be. Paul George has been a name brought up in NBA trade rumors much more frequently than in the past.
According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Clippers have given rival teams the impression they were open to testing the trade value of George ahead of the NBA Draft.
“League sources tell The Stein Line that the LA Clippers have left various rival teams with the impression through their Draft Week conversations that they are, at a minimum, attempting to gauge Paul George’s trade value and, to hear some describe it, giving real consideration to the idea of disassembling the Kawhi Leonard/George tandem,” Stein wrote.
NBA TRADES, NEWS & RUMORS: Paul George, Los Angeles Clippers & Cleveland Cavaliers Updates
The Cavaliers did already part with a major haul to acquire Donovan Mitchell from the Utah Jazz last summer. To make the most of their window, why not make another splash move to see if it can lead to a surprise run?
Could the Cavaliers flip Allen for George in a trade with the Clippers?
