Saramento Kings wingman Ben McLemore. (Photo : Getty Images)
Reigning Eastern Conference champions Cleveland Cavaliers have expressed interest in acquiring Sacramento's shooting guard Ben McLemore, but the Kings have reportedly rejected their offer, recent reports say.
According to Cleveland.com's Chris Haynes, "the Cavaliers, among with a handful of other Eastern Conference teams, have strong interest in trading for" the 23-year-old athletic wing, but "the Kings have declined overtures for their young 3-point marksman".
The Cavs are said to be "on the prowl for wing assistance" as the NBA's trade deadline draws near even if the team has finished the first half of the 2015-2016 season on top of the East with a 38-14 slate.
At this time, Cleveland has the mercurial J.R. Smith, injury-prone Iman Shumpert, inexperienced Jared Cunningham, and aging Richard Jefferson as their current wing options and team officials, including best player LeBron James, are perhaps thinking that they need to improve on the spot if they want a chance of snagging the city's first-ever NBA title.
The 6-foot-5 former Kansas standout will reportedly provide quality backcourt support at an affordable cost as he is currently set to earn $3.1 million this season and $4 million in the next. He signed a four-year, $13 million deal with the Kings before the 2013-2014 season and is set to be a restricted free agent in the summer of 2017.
However, McLemore is a known inconsistent player as well as he had shown both sides of a player's ability spectrum in his two-season stint so far with the Kings.
Bleacher Report noted that St. Louis, Missouri native is "putting together the worst counting stats of his career" even though he has increased in efficiency. He is averaging 7.7 points and 2.1 rebounds in only 21.0 minutes per game, all career-lows as he is gradually losing playing to teammates Marco Belinelli and James Anderson.
Last season, the seventh overall pick of the 2013 NBA Draft averaged 12.1 points and 2.9 boards, playing 32.6 minutes a night mainly as a starter.
Another interesting part of Haynes' report is that he mentioned that "it's widely known within league circles that agents have been pushing to get their clients out of Sacramento with the franchise embroiled in dysfunction and turmoil", perhaps referring to the still rumored beef between franchise player DeMarcus Cousins and current head coach George Karl.
It should be noted that James and McLemore share the same agent and so it should be a real possibility that this deal would still push through despite Sacramento's resolve.
