The Cleveland Cavaliers aren’t done with their offseason shakeup, with growing rumors around the NBA that the Eastern Conference champions are ready to ship Tristan Thompson and Kyle Korver out of town.
A report from Cavaliers Nation claims that the team is ready for a complete makeover after LeBron James left for the Lakers, with no player on the roster safe outside of top pick Collin Sexton. This could include sending two major pieces of the NBA Finals run out of town in order to land big man Hassan Whiteside.
According to the report, the Cavaliers are working on a deal sending Thompson and Korver to the Miami Heat, which could signal a new path for the team in the post-LeBron era. As the Eastern Conference becomes increasingly competitive with both the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers on the rise, the Cavaliers appear to be going younger by putting the 37-year-old Korver on the trading block.
Trading Tristan Thompson would seem a bit more curious, as the Cavaliers’ Fansided blog King James Gospel (which may need a new name soon) noted that the team appears to be building around defense in the post-LeBron era. Thompson was one of the better defenders and the team’s best rim protector last season, an important piece as the rest of the team often lagged during the regular season.
With no LeBron James to fall back on, the team will need to stay sharp defensively in order to compete, the report noted.
“Last season, the Cavs were on pace for a historically bad defensive rating. As the Suns tanked to finish the season, the Cavs slide up a spot, ending with the league’s second-worst defensive rating. Additionally, they ranked 24th in steals and 28th in blocks per game.”
There is a chance that the Cleveland Cavaliers may want to move beyond the distraction that Tristan Thompson brings to the team, however. He has been a fixture of the celebrity gossip circuit due to his relationship — and alleged infidelity — with reality television star Khloe Kardashian, and caused more drama with an alleged fight with Draymond Green at a party hosted by LeBron James this summer. As Deadspin noted, Green added to the drama by issuing a “non-denial denial” about the alleged scuffle.
Cavs Have Trade Package Ready for Heat’s Hassan Whiteside: https://t.co/bvMlJ7yFfL
— Cavaliers Nation (@WeAreCavsNation) August 8, 2018
Despite the NBA rumors, the Cleveland Cavaliers have given no public indication that either Tristan Thompson or Kyle Korver is on the trading block.
