The Cleveland Cavaliers are reportedly shopping shooting guard Dion Waiters in the hope of landing New York Knicks defensive stopper Iman Shumpert, multiple sources reported on Friday.
The Cavaliers are still looking to improve their roster following their acquisition of LeBron James, Mike Miller and James Jones. Reports also indicated the Cavs are set to received All-Star power forward Kevin Love by sending Andrew Wiggins, Anthony Bennett and a protected first round pick in 2015 NBA Draft.
Despite their additions, Hoops Rumors analyst Chuck Myron believed there's still room for the Cavs to further improve their roster, and that is to find personnel who can be their defensive specialists.
The Cavs have already emerged as the front runner to sign free-agent small forward Shawn Marion, who has been known throughout his career as a versatile defender.
The Indiana Pacers first inquired about Marion's availability but the opportunity to play for the reloaded Cavaliers appear to be a more tempting offer for the veteran, who won his lone NBA championship with the Dallas Mavericks in 2011.
"Marion hasn't formalized agreement with Cavs yet, but Indiana's already looking elsewhere than Marion for free agent help, Yahoo Sports NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Thursday.
Acquiring Marion would be a big boost for the Cavs, who ranked 17th in defensive efficiency last season. The Matrix might not be as outstanding stopper as he was on the early in his career, but his help defense and deep understanding of defensive rotation would benefit the Cavaliers.
"The Mavericks relied on Marion's defensive versatility to provide the type of coverage expected out of elite defensive anchors like Roy Hibbert or Dwight Howard. It was Marion rotating around the paint and cutting off dribble penetration with no defensive big man to rely on last season in Dallas. It was Marion assigned to the James Hardens and Kevin Durants of the league. He's still The Matrix, defending any position from point guard to center," Bleacher Report writer Dan Favale reported.
Dion Waiters for Iman Shumpert Trade
Myron agreed during the chat session on Hoops Rumors that a Waiters for Shumpert deal makes sense for the Cavs and the Knicks, as the deal provides them with personnel that would fill-up their void.
The Cavs need a defensive stopper in the backcourt to offset Irving's inability to guard his man, while the Knicks want to have a talented youngster to play alongside Carmelo Anthony in the Knickerbockers' triangle offense next season.
Nothing is certain if both teams will agree to pull off this deal, but it's nevertheless a trade that is worth to consider.
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