Cavaliers Rumors: Cleveland Almost Acquired Paul George, Carmelo Anthony In Five-Team Trade
The Cleveland Cavaliers were looking to improve their already impressive roster before the 2017 NBA Draft. The Cavaliers were linked to players such as Jimmy Butler, Paul George, Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade. The latest rumors suggest that the Cavaliers were very close to acquiring both George and Anthony in a five-team trade but it fell through because of one player.
The Cavaliers fell to the Golden State Warriors in five games in the 2017 NBA Finals. Cleveland was no match against the Warriors’ superteam, and the franchise seems to be interested in making their roster better. However, Butler is already in Minnesota, George is linked to the Lakers and Celtics, and Anthony and Wade possibly staying with the Knicks and Bulls, respectively.
Cleveland was reportedly in the early stages of a trade for Butler and George but no deal was made. A couple of days later, the Cavaliers ownership fired general manager David Griffin in a surprising move. They are now looking at former NBA champion Chauncey Billups as their new GM but can he make the Cavaliers a better team?
According to Jonathan Sherman of Cavaliers Nation, the Cavaliers were in the middle of a five-team blockbuster trade that would have sent Paul George and Carmelo Anthony to Cleveland. However, the deal fell through because the unnamed teams involved did not want Kevin Love, who just finished his best season in a Cavaliers uniform.
ESPN’s John Ireland elaborated the proposed five-team trade during their recent Mason and Ireland radio show. No other details were provided, including which teams and players are involved. However, Ireland noted that no team wanted Kevin Love’s contract and teams were worried about his injury history.
“Speaking of big trades. There was a rumor that there was a five-team trade about to go down that would have put both Carmelo Anthony and Paul George into Cleveland and what held it up is that Kevin Love’s money was a problem for everybody. Nobody wanted to take that deal.”
The Cleveland Cavaliers appear to be moving on from Paul George but they are still linked to Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade, who are both buyout candidates. Anthony and Wade are also close friends with LeBron James, and they have always been open to teaming up before retirement.
Joe Vardon of cleveland.com believes that it’s not hard to see the Knicks and Bulls part ways with Anthony and Wade, respectively. Both teams are heading into a rebuild and they surely can’t get any trade partner because of how big their contracts are. The only way for the Cleveland Cavaliers to improve their current superteam is if they can add Anthony and Wade.
Nevertheless, these are still just rumors at the moment and nothing has been confirmed. The Cleveland Cavaliers have to hire a new general manager first before thinking about building a much-improved superteam that can beat the Golden State Warriors next season.
[Featured Image by Andy Lyons/Getty Images]
