With the talks of DeAndre Jordan being placed on the trade block gaining traction in the midst of the Clippers disappointing nine-game losing streak, the Cavs have emerged as one of the obvious suitors for the most efficient player in NBA history. Despite having one of his worst defensive seasons (allowing 63% at the rim and 46% overall, per Second Spectrum), DeAndre's imposing physical presence was projected to help the Cavs concerning defensive woes (dead last in defensive rating through first 15 games) and provide lineup versatility at both ends of the floor. However, just as the trade machine was starting to heat up, news of turmoil coming in from up north shifted the appetites of Cavs fans towards another interesting solution at the center position.
Over the past several seasons, the Grizzlies have been a true embodiment of the NBA upper middle class. You could always count on them comfortably making the playoffs, where they were regularly a dreaded matchup due to their patented grit and grind mentality. A successful push towards an NBA championship title was, however, never truly on the cards. The fans were more than content with consistent postseason participation, but without a plan to actually make a strong attempt at winning the ring, the arguably most talented generation in franchise history slowly started to reach its expiration date.
Zach Randolph decided to devote the twilight years of his career to mentoring young blood in Sacramento, Mike Conley began dealing with a recurring Achilles injury which led to his absence in more than a quarter of games over the last three seasons, and it seems that Marc Gasol started to finally lose his patience with the direction his franchise is heading towards. Frustrated by an inexplicable fourth quarter benching against Brooklyn Nets in the thick of a seven game losing streak, the Spaniard lashed at coach David Fizdale, a reaction completely out of line with his reputation of a consummate professional.
The conflict led to Grizzlies siding with their star and firing Fizdale, but with the adversity the Grizzlies are currently facing on all organizational levels, it seems they are poised for a lengthy rebuilding process. If things continue going south and the Grizzlies decide to take that route, the assets Cavaliers currently have at their disposal would make them a logical trade partner. Let's take a look at two potential trades that could go down and not leave any of the franchises with a bad taste in their mouth.
Marc Gasol <–> Tristan Thompson / Cedi Osman / BKN pick
The notion of surrendering an almost certain lottery pick in a draft that's shaping up to be one for the ages understandably doesn't resonate well with Cavs fans. Possibility of snatching a franchise player with James still on the team and a high probability of another NBA Finals appearance seems simply too good to pass up. However, taking the approach of stubbornly keeping that pick could prove costly for the Cavaliers.
First of all, the Nets have somewhat surpassed the preseason expectations; they are one of the most balanced teams in the league and without the incentive to lose, their pick could easily go down in value as the season progresses and more and more teams start embracing the tank. After all, the hype around the 2018 Draft is based on the top five prospects, and falling out of that range could leave the Cavs with an underwhelming draftee.
Secondly, their amazing winning streak made it easy to cast aside the deficiencies that have been effortlessly concealed by yet another James' otherworldly season. Despite the recent improvement, the Cavs are still just 23rd in defensive rating, and they are allowing the opposing frontcourts 64.9 points per game (4th worst in the NBA). Besides that, there is a glaring discrepancy between their points and assists numbers; Cavs are fourth in the league in scoring, but are sitting at just 18th place in AST% and 11th in assists, with over a third of their assists coming from James.
The holes do exist, and Marc Gasol is definitely a player with an appropriate set of tools to plug them. His name is consistently brought up in DPOY conversations (won the award in 2013), and his intelligent help defense and good positioning around the rim would undoubtedly make the Cavs more intimidating at that end of the floor. He also possesses elite passing skills for a big man that could provide more fluidity to the Cavs offensive sets and tone down the over reliance on LeBron's offensive ingenuity. In fact, James has never played with a big man averaging that many assists, and given how comfortable James feels playing with above average front court shooters (see: Chris Bosh, Kevin Love), the new found dynamic could become yet another source of headaches for the opposing coaches.
The most obvious candidate the Cavs could send the other way to make salaries work is Tristan Thompson. Even though his physicality and the intangibles he brings to the table have often proven to be invaluable, especially in the postseason, there isn't plenty of those who would claim the huge contract he was rewarded with completely paid off. The fact that the Cavs actually flipped the switch after his injury (3-5 pre and 13-2 post-injury) is pretty indicative of how much value he holds for the current Cavs team. The Grizzlies, on the other hand, would get three years to try and fit Thompson into the mold of Zach Randolph, and judging by how they managed to completely reinvent Z-Bo on all levels after his JailBlazers days, there's a high chance they could provide an environment Thompson would thrive in.
To further balance out the scale and convince the Grizzlies to give up their franchise big man, the Cavs would have to part ways with another interesting prospect who simply doesn't get enough playing time to showcase his talent since his team is gunning for the first seed – Cedi Osman. He's an interesting Swiss army knife type of a player in a solid frame that makes his presence felt on both ends of the floor who would, along with the result of the Brooklyn pick, easily become the essential part of the rebuilding process that wouldn't deeply disgust the Grizzlies fanbase.
Marc Gasol / Tyreke Evans <–> Tristan Thompson / Iman Shumpert / Cedi Osman / BKN pick
In the current status quo, an extension of the previously discussed trade would make sense for both teams. Tyreke Evans has finally found his groove after two injury-ridden seasons, and his performance this season resembles his 2010 NBA Rookie of the Year campaign when he averaged 20/5/5. ‘Reke has actually been one of the rare bright spots on the Grizzlies roster, but don't get fooled by his motivation to put up noteworthy numbers; he's in the final season of a bargain 3.3 million dollar contract and is looking to get paid next season. Since the Grizzlies could have big problems retaining him given the financial and competitive circumstances, they might as well get something in return when his stocks are at an all time high.
Up until the injury that will require arthroscopic knee surgery, Iman Shumpert posted career lows across the board (minutes, points, assists, PER, VORP). With the imminent recovery of Isaiah Thomas, that makes it hard to see how Shump would fit in the Cavs' guard rotation, even without the unfortunate turn of events. A change of scenery could overturn his ongoing decline, and his playstyle seems to be a good fit for the famed Grizzlies grit and grind philosophy. Evans, on the other hand, would provide further depth to the Cavs roster, and his underrated playmaking skills could remedy the uncertainty the current Derrick Rose situation implicates.
At this point of the season, and with the Grizzlies front office unambiguously stating they aren't interested in trading Gasol (wouldn't want to repeat the mistake the Suns FO made with Bledsoe), we can only speculate on what route the Cavs will take going forward. It is clear, however, that they should strive towards bringing the wear on James' body down (currently second in the league in minutes played) and ensure his freshness for the postseason. The skillset Marc Gasol brings to the table would undoubtedly be a step in that direction, and, in contrast to a 2018 draft pick, would make the most sense as his timeline perfectly overlaps with James.
Besides the obvious on-court benefits, complementing LeBron with another well-proven companion on the road to his eighth consecutive NBA finals would be a smart decision given the talks of him having second thoughts on his free agency, and should be a huge factor in persuading the King to continue refining his legacy in Cleveland.
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