Cleveland Cavaliers general manager David Griffin dropped a bomb this week by considering every player on the team's roster available for trade discussion. Having said that, who really is a 'tradable' asset for the franchise?
With a bevy of draft picks, a large player's exemption, and a roster filled with talented youngster, the Cavaliers have lots of tools to work with on the trading front.
Griffin, who pulled off a blockbuster trade to bring Kevin Love from the Timberwolves last summer, told the media he won't be shy in hammering another big trade if it's necessary to improve the team's chance of winning its first NBA title.
Northeast Ohio Media Group provided an in-depth detail of Griffin's plan:
"Cavaliers general manager David Griffin is as aggressive as they come. It would be easy for him to sit back and wait for this LeBron James-led team to figure things out. He'll remain patient through this process, but says he's constantly strategizing ways to advance the team's acceleration.
And in doing so, Griffin will spare no effort even if it means including a player in a deal no one even suspected was available.
"No one is untouchable, and you're never done building a team, so we're always paying attention to what opportunities are out there. My tendency is always trying to do what we can do to improve the roster. But I'm not looking to create one so much as paying attention to what I'm hearing."
So who's going to be? Obviously, it won't be LeBron James. It's definitely not his buddy Anderson Varejao, who recently signed a three-year, $30 million extension. Perhaps, it's the usual trade suspects like Dion Waiters and Tristan Thompson. But trading these youngsters won't undermine the bench and their future. How about a colossal deal, one that would send shockwaves across the league?
Are the Cavaliers really that open to trade Kyrie Irving? It has been widely speculated that the Cavaliers might eventually move a shot-happy, ball dominant Irving to finally usher David Blatt's ball movement philosophy.
Rajon Rondo, who will become a free-agent next summer, is considered as the perfect point guard for the star-studded Cavs. The pass-first point guard is having a rejuvenated season, averaging 10.4 points, 8.0 rebounds and a league high 11 assists per game. The Celtics have been at a crossroad whether to trade or keep Rondo despite the risk of losing him for nothing next summer, but a Rondo for Irving swap would certainly pique the attention of general manager Danny Ainge.
Whether Irving is being viewed as a potential trade asset or not, the Cavs general manager really blew thing wide open with one simple phrase 'no one is untouchable.'
