The Cleveland Cavaliers "have agreed in principle" to acquire Denver Nuggets center Timofey Mozgov in exchange for two first-round draft picks and a second-round pick, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The picks originally come from Oklahoma City and Memphis, so Cleveland isn't sending any of its own picks in the deal.
Cavaliers acquire Timofey Mozgov for two first-round picks
Cleveland has a new starting center after completing a long-anticipated deal for Timofey Mozgov on Wednesday.
Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports
Given that both picks are protected, it’s not certain that Denver will get either one this year. The Thunder pick is top-18 protected this year -- meaning it’ll only end up with the Nuggets if OKC keeps rising up the standings -- while the Grizzlies pick is top-5 and 15-30 protected, which means it’ll need to fall in the lottery but outside the top five to be sent to Denver. It’s also protected that way in 2016 before changing to merely top-five protected in 2017 and 2018.
The Nuggets will also trade a future second-round pick, according to Nate Timmons of SB Nation’s Denver Stiffs.
Rumors tying the Cavaliers to Mozgov have been around for months, but got louder recently following the season-ending injury to starting center Anderson Varejao. That loss, plus the ongoing turmoil surrounding the team amid a slow start to the season, put extra pressure on Cleveland to shake things up somehow.
The first domino fell earlier this week, when the team acquired J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert from the New York Knicks as part of a three-team deal that sent former No. 4 overall pick Dion Waiters to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The second move came Wednesday with the addition of Mozgov, a 7'1 behemoth who's been a useful, durable player for the Nuggets in recent years.
Mozgov was originally brought to the NBA by the New York Knicks, who traded him midway through his rookie season to Denver as part of the Carmelo Anthony trade. Over the next three-plus years, he emerged as a key part of the team's frontcourt rotation, even earning a starting gig this season. Assuming the deal with Cleveland goes through, he'll likely take on a similar role filling the middle for the Cavaliers.
As for the Nuggets, they’re likely happy to be landing two first-round picks in exchange for a talented but limited big man. Even if it’s a short-term step back on the court, those picks should come in handy soon, even if one or both don’t get sent to Denver this year.
See More:
