The Cleveland Cavaliers are taking LeBron James' comments seriously as their quest for a playmaker continues to thrive in NBA trade rumors.
The latest additions to the expanding list of playmaker prospects now include former All-Star Deron Williams. He was already linked before but there seems to be more basis for the rumors now (aside from mere speculation). USA Today sportswriter Sam Amick had the lowdown.
"The Cavs could take the trade route too, of course, and they are known to have inquired about the Dallas Mavericks' Deron Williams. The 32-year-old, three-time All-Star is in the final year of his deal ($9 million), and it's worth noting that Dallas has shown interest in the Cavs' Iman Shumpert previously when he was a free agent (he's owed a combined $31 million for this season and the next two, with a player option for 2018-19)."
It was previously speculated that the Dallas Mavericks could consider to buy-out Williams when the Mavs sputtered to a league-worst start. But as the Mavs started to get their bearings, Williams emerged as a legitimate trade target.
Iman Shumpert is a trade possibility since the Cavs have acquired Kyle Korver. When JR Smith eventually returns from injury, the shooting guard rotation could be crowded. James has made it clear that their priority is a playmaker.
However, the Cavs would prefer to simply add to their roster instead of losing rotation players. If that's the case, they still have some choices but they may have to be creative.
According to Chris Haynes of ESPN, the Cavaliers will try out free agent point guards like Jordan Farmar, Mario Chalmers Kirk Hinrich and even Lance Stephenson.
There are also open try outs for other free agents. "Other free-agent prospects are expected to attend the session, sources say. Depending on how well the participants perform, sources with knowledge of the Cavaliers' thinking believe one could be signed prior to the All-Star break," Haynes reported.
Chalmers is a familiar face for LeBron James and has been linked to them since the start of the season. Since he was James' teammate for four years, there is probably a flaw that the King finds with him which stops him from getting the nod.
Stephenson was a former rival and the Cavs' willingness to try him out shows that they how much they really want to resolve this need.