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June 24, 2013The Cleveland Cavaliers are one of two teams who are reportedly expressing high levels of interest in Chicago Bulls small forward Luol Deng.
ESPN’s Marc Stein reports that the Cavaliers join the Washington Wizards as teams who could potentially acquire the All-Star small forward. The Wizards, owner of the No. 3 pick, would reportedly have to move it to Chicago along with center Emeka Okafor due to salary-matching reasons.
While there is no word on what, if anything, the Cavaliers have offered Chicago for Deng’s services, acquiring the swingman would provide at least a one-year upgrade at the small forward position. Given that the Wizards would be trading away the No. 3 pick, and the Cavaliers have reportedly received calls regarding their No. 1 selection, it is not far-fetched to imagine that the first-overall pick is in play. The team has also reportedly been in talks for Boston small forward Paul Pierce.
Deng, 28, is coming off of a solid season where he averaged 16.5 points and 6.3 rebounds per game for the Bulls. In the last year of his contract, Deng is set to make $14.3 million. The notoriously tight Bulls have dangled his name out in the trade market for several seasons, but have yet to execute a deal.
31 Comments
Would the Wizards really do that? I know Okafor isn’t that great, but the Wizards have zero frontcourt depth. It seems like they’d be cutting off their nose to spite their face.
Uh, no.
#19 and Zeller? Sure.
#19 and a second rounder? No problem.
#19 and a future pick (like the Sacto or Mem protected ones)? Ok.
No way in hell we’re trading #1 for Deng though, and I seriously doubt there’s any credence to the Wizard rumors. That’s a lot to give for a one year rental of a solid but unspectacular player.
Hard to understand why the Wiz would give up #3 overall for an expiring guy, unless they just want to dump Okafor for some reason. But Scott, a similar deal makes even less sense for the Cavs, with the overall #1 and no salary to dump on a contract match, and I’m afraid your imprecise paraphrasing is making it unnecessarily stranger. The story doesn’t quote some anonymous source as stating the Cavs having a “high level of interest” in Deng, just “interest in Deng as well.” Big diff.
If anyone thinks it’s reasonable to speculate Grant would deal the #1 overall for a decent 30-something in the last year of a contract, stand on your head.
Sounds like the Bulls are just trying to drive up Deng’s trade value. Seems unlikely both the Cavs and Wiz front offices would leak this info. More likely is Chicago leaking to various outlets.
hey, we could give #1 for Deng, #19 for Pierce. Then, when we don’t win the championship next season and they both leave, we’ll only be set back even further.
yeah, well, no thanks.
Why is everything upside down?
the only way it makes sense is if they get Deng w/ an extension in hand. if they do that, then they would have Wall/Beal/Deng all locked up and a whole bunch of cap space in the summer of 2014.
this year would be tough as they would have undercut their efforts with no real way of solving their frontcourt issues that would be magnified further, but they would have a solid backcourt/wing foundation.
Yep, no way it happens unless Deng extends his contract with the Wizards. Otherwise you’re just swapping two guys with one year left on their contract and losing a 1st round pick in the process.
“The Cleveland Cavaliers are one of two teams who are reportedly expressing high levels of interest in Chicago Bulls small forward Luol Deng.”
…
“While there is no word on what, if anything, the Cavaliers have offered Chicago for Deng’s services”
Is this what reporting is now?
No it’s rumoring!
That would be legendary!
Yea I can’t believe Grant would be discussing anything remotely like this at all.
reportedly, yes, it is.
I’d only do a trade with Chicago if it somehow landed us Jimmy Butler. No way that’s happening though
It’d be an interesting experiment to start an unfounded rumor and see how far it stretches.
I bet if Scott were to write an article right now claiming that the Cavs have offered the Heat the #1 pick for Lebron, it’d make it on the 6 pm SportsCenter.
Let’s sign Keith Hernandez while we’re at it.
can we just get Mike Brown to grow that ‘stache?
Pass.
Incomplete?
TWEET TWEET TWEET!
No it was complete for six yards it was just third and seven!
SHURRRRMURRRR’d!!!
Part of this is WFNY, shifting the rumor’s description to Cavs’ “high interest” in Deng from the original “interest as well.”
It’s about internet silly season, not precision. Spray whatever, or spray something new on another’s spray. If you’re right you can yell “first!” If you’re wrong, no one remembers or cares.
Legendary!
The Cavs would be happy to take Deng’s salary on for a year, but without a new contract signed there’s no way they give up the #1 pick for a one year rental. Any time you hear a veteran name in with less than 2 years left on his deal rumored to the Cavs, you can be sure it was a case of Chris Grant calling and asking “So how bad do you want to save $14.3 million dollars this year?” I say they offered the 19th. (or maybe 13th from Dallas)
i bet if i started a rumor that Tom Izzo was coming to coach here in Cleveland nobody would even notice it.
In Chris Grant’s last trade was he got Wayne Ellington, Mareese Speights, Josh Selby and a future lottery or unprotected pick. It doesn’t actually sound like much but he got all that for John Luer.
This sh!t has no legs.
I would take Jimmie Butler, Miortic and Deng for No. 1, Zeller and CJ Miles
There is a difference between inquiring about the availability of Luol Deng and making an actual offer though.
“Hey, Chicago GM constrained by a cheap owner, how would you like to save $14.3M this year by trading Luol Deng to the Cavs?”
or
“Do you think your owner would take CJ Miles, the #19 and Tyler Zeller for Luol Deng?”
His defense goes way beyond “solid but unspectacular” and his offense is a bit underrated.
Um no thanks. If we are trading the number 1, we better get a stud young player who will complete our first unit for the next decade. Meaning Demarcus Cousins or a player of that talent. And even with cousins, it would be a trade down. No thank you Chicago.
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nba–bulls–luol-deng-talking-contract-extension-171420751.html
so, maybe this one was smoke? (as if we couldn’t figure out that one)