CLEVELAND: Even without making another move prior to the trade deadline, Thursday went well for the Cavaliers.
Two targets they’ve coveted throughout the trade season both became available. Now they’ll have their shot at acquiring one or both without having to relinquish any of their scarce assets — provided they both clear waivers.
Deron Williams was waived by the Dallas Mavericks following Thursday’s 3 p.m. trade deadline and appears to be the Cavs’ primary target. Williams could be in demand on the waiver wire because his $8 million salary is manageable, particularly for a team like the Utah Jazz that is under the salary floor. Williams will be free to sign with another team as early as this weekend if he does clear. There is mutual interest in bringing him to Cleveland, although General Manager David Griffin wouldn’t address Williams specifically.
“Obviously, we have a great deal of interest in a playmaker,” Griffin said. “We hope in all of these cases that we’re the kind of organization and the kind of team that people want to be part of, and we feel that we’ll be competitive in that market for sure.”
Meanwhile, the Mavericks traded Andrew Bogut to the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday. Bogut is also a prime candidate to get bought out and waived and would go a long way toward providing depth in the Cavs’ injury-depleted frontcourt.
There’s only one problem: The Cavs only have one open roster spot and Williams seems to be the priority. They could easily create another spot by waiving Jordan McRae, but that would require eating his $875,000 contract and the accompanying luxury tax hit of about $2.5 million. Moreover, Griffin said Thursday the recent acquisition of Derrick Williams has lessened the need of signing another big.
“I don’t think it’s something we look at with maybe the same level of urgency we did before Derrick emerged as a possibility for us, because he has some versatility there,” Griffin said. “We wouldn’t turn away from the right piece. But until that situation arises, we really aren’t concerned with it. We like our roster. We intentionally didn’t create more roster spots for a reason.”
Williams, 32, is a five-time All-Star who was averaging 13.1 points and 6.9 assists with the Mavericks this season. He briefly came off the bench a couple years ago with the Brooklyn Nets while returning from injuries, but he hasn’t exclusively come off the bench since his rookie season.
“Anytime you have a guy who is an All-Star, he’s a great talent,” Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said of Williams. “He can make the plays, he’s a great pick-and-roll player, he can shoot the basketball, he has size so you can switch 1 through 4 with him defensively. He can post smaller guards. I’ve always been a big fan of D-Will.”
Griffin was content to let the deadline pass without making any moves. The Cavs didn’t have a first-round pick to give up until 2021 and ultimately wanted to keep the core of this team in place.
The Cavs did bring in free agent center Larry Sanders earlier this week and that remains a possibility, but the Cavs didn’t want to do anything with Sanders until they see who all gets bought out and who wants to come to Cleveland. The Cavs are aware Sanders was arrested on a felony charge last summer in Los Angeles, but one source with knowledge of the case said he doesn’t believe Sanders will face discipline from the league if he signs with a team. The reason for the charge wasn’t immediately clear at press time.
In order to be eligible for the postseason, all current players in the NBA must be off their old teams by March 1.
“I think we’re really confident that we have the kind of players that people want to play with and the kind of coach that people want to play for,” Griffin said. “And frankly all the guys who’ve come here would tell you we have the kind of organization that sells itself as well. I think we’ll be competitive in that [buyout] market.”
Jason Lloyd can be reached at jlloyd@thebeaconjournal.com.