The NBA trade rumors continue for the Cleveland Cavaliers despite lording it over the Eastern Conference.
According to Hoops Habit, one player that they are likely to trade is Timofey Mozgov. The Russian center was taken as a necessary piece for a championship run as the Cavs did not have a solid center.
However, the atmosphere of the league has changed and the small-ball Warriors' dominance has forced other teams to follow suit. As a result, the Cavs are using Tristan Thompson along with Kevin Love at the frontline more often.
Thompson was given a near-max salary in the off-season and the Cavs are unlikely to invest more money in Mozgov, who will become a free agent at the end of the season.
The question is, who will the Cavs target in a trade? One answer is Nick Young of the Los Angeles Lakers. While it might be a surprise, Young has been on Cleveland's radar for quite some time now as shown in this Cleveland Sun Times post from June.
The rationale is that Young has the talent and the confidence to shoot but he has been hampered by attitude problems and lack of focus. These observations also applied to J.R. Smith, who was acquired by the Cavs in a trade.
Smith had numerous on and off-court issues while he was still with the New York Knicks and his stock in the league plummeted. When the Cavs traded for him, they were able to acquire the promising Iman Shumpert-as the Knicks found it difficult to find a team willing to take Smith.
The Cavs gambled and won as Smith became a valuable contributor for the Cavs. Perhaps playing with LeBron James and being on an actual contender brought his focus back. This is also the same hope with Nick Young.
