The Cleveland Cavaliers are reportedly considering trading shooting guard Dion Waiters for New York Knicks defensive ace Iman Shumpert, according to a source close to situation on Tuesday.
The Cavaliers continued to add new players to their loaded lineup, reportedly signing Shawn Marion to a one-year veteran minimum deal. Marion, who rejected a bigger offer from the Indiana Pacers, will provide the Cavs a solid perimeter player with the ability to guard all five positions.
Aside from Marion, the Cavs are also interested in getting another perimeter lockdown player in Shumpert, who has been linked to several trade scenarios since last season. The 24-year old Shumpert averaged 6.7 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game last season with the New York Knicks.
However, there are reports that basketball operations head Phil Jackson is looking to trade Shumpert because he's not the ideal off guard player in his triangle offense. The Zen Master would rather have a scorer at the two-guard spot than Shumpert, who doesn't have a reliable jumpshot in his repertoire.
On the other hand, the Cavs wanted a player who can fortify their backcourt defense and offset Kyrie Irving's lack of ability to guard his man. Moreover, the team is already loaded with offensive weapons in Irving, LeBron James and possibly Kevin Love, so having another volume shooter like Waiters would be a surplus.
The 22-year old Waiters averaged 15.9 points, 2.8 rebounds and 3.0 asissts in 29 minutes per game for the Cavs. Despite his strong statistical line, Waiters' tenure with the Cavs has been shaky because of his immaturity which often led to feuds - particularly with Irving.
Hoops Rumors analyst Chuck Myron also believed the Waiters for Shumpert trade appears to be a win-win deal for both team as it provides something they really need: a defensive presence for the Cavs and a talented scorer for the Knicks.
"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"
ESPN's Kevin Pelton also agreed that a 1-on-1 swap involving Waiters and Shumpert makes sense because both are still pretty talented players at young age.
"Giving up two years of a rookie contract for one year is never ideal, but Shumpert has been a better NBA player than Waiters thus far, so I think it's a pretty reasonable 1-for-1 deal," Kevin Pelton stated during a chat session.
For more NBA rumors, read more at Travelers Today
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
