NBA trade rumors: Cavaliers testing trade market for Luol Deng, per report
The Cavs are worried about losing Deng in free agency, so they’re looking to see if they can possibly get some value for him before the trade deadline.
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
With his future in Cleveland in doubt, the Cleveland Cavaliers are testing the trade market for recently acquired forward Luol Deng, according to ESPN's Brian Windhorst.
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The Cavs, struggling and hoping to make a playoff push, traded Andrew Bynum and a handful of picks to the Chicago Bulls for Deng in early January. Cleveland's struggles continued upon Deng's arrival, with reports of turmoil swirling around the organization. The Cavs hit rock bottom after a loss to a depleted Los Angeles Lakers squad, and general manager Chris Grant wound up losing his job.
Deng is making $14.28 million this year and is set to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason, and there have been rumblings he doesn’t want to stay in Cleveland. If that’s the case, it would make some sense for acting general manager David Griffin to explore the trade market for the veteran forward.
However, the Cavs have turned things around since Grant was fired, winning five games in a row and getting themselves right back into the thick of things in the Eastern Conference. Griffin has said he’d prefer to buy and not sell at the deadline, so that would intimate a Deng trade is unlikely. But while trading Deng would weaken the team in the short term, it really must be considered if he’s truly not willing to stick around.
On the season, Deng is averaging 17.1 points and 6.0 rebounds while shooting 43.7 percent between Cleveland and Chicago.
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