The Cleveland Cavaliers wasted no time at all signing Kevin Love in the offseason and they are reportedly close to a deal that will ensure Tristan Thompson will remain with the franchise for the next few seasons. Combine Love and Thompson with Timofey Mozgov, Anderson Varejao and Brendan Haywood, and it’s clear that Cavaliers have too many big men on their roster.
Cleveland has spent the past couple of weeks looking for potential suitors for Haywood and while he has a pretty big contract, he’s expiring at the end of the season, which makes him a very attractive commodity for teams looking for cap space. Here is a look at five potential trade destinations for Haywood.
Los Angeles Clippers
It was reported that the Clippers were interested in moving Jamal Crawford to the Cavaliers in exchange for Haywood earlier this month. The Clippers wouldn’t want to cut Haywood but they could end up trading him as well in an effort to rid themselves of Crawford’s contract and then move Haywood to get under the tax line.
Replacing Haywood could put Los Angeles under the tax hold and then the Clippers would be able to use their MLE to exceed the tax. The Clippers would be interested to move Crawford because they already have a big payroll and he really let the team down in the playoffs when his shooting went awry. The thinking is that Lance Stephenson and Paul Pierce can replace him.
Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers already took a shot on Roy Hibbert, so what are the odds they bring on Haywood as insurance in case that move doesn’t work out? Los Angeles has welcomed back Julius Randle but Hibbert, Randle, Brandon Bass and Robert Sacre isn’t exactly an elite frontcourt and there are obvious concerns about whether or not Tarik Black is ready. The Lakers could bring in Haywood as a veteran addition with the understanding that they aren’t on the hook long-term if it doesn’t work out.
Portland Trail Blazers
The Trail Blazers lost a pair of big men in LaMarcus Aldridge and Robin Lopez, so they might actually be able to use Haywood but the more likely scenario has him being bought out. Portland has the salary cap space to complete a trade for Haywood and then buy him out. That means if Cleveland is willing to package draft picks or some kind of other attractive young assets, Portland can continue their rebuild and soak up Haywood’s bloated contract for a year.
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Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers have three first-round picks at the center position in Nerlens Noel, Joel Embiid and Jahlil Okafor, so they clearly don’t have a need at the position. However, Embiid has now been ruled out of the season and Haywood could give the team some veteran minutes off the bench.
The other aspect here is that like the Trail Blazers, they could make this deal for the sole purpose of acquiring an additional draft pick. The 76ers have the cap space to absorb Haywood’s contract and when you consider their idea for the long-term rebuild, there is a good chance they will take another pick if they can.
Utah Jazz
The Jazz are another candidate to trade for Haywood and then buy him out. Utah already has Rudy Gobert, Derrick Favors and Trey Lyles at the position, so it’s really not a need for them. There’s no question that this is a young team that’s on the rise, so they don’t need a veteran center at the end of his career.
However, the Jazz are looking ahead at all of the money they are going to have to commit. Gobert looks like a max player, Gordon Hayward is already there and guys like Trey Burke and Rod Hood could get sizable raises if they continue along their trajectory. The Jazz wouldn’t mind getting Hayward because he’ll translate into cap space next summer, which will come in handy to them.
