NBA Trade Rumors & Free Agents 2014 News: Cleveland Cavaliers Still Looking for a Rim Protector to Join LeBron James, Kevin Love, Kyrie Irving
By John Santisteban | Aug 28, 2014 11:40 PM EDT
The Cleveland Cavaliers have the best superstar trio in the league heading into the 2014-15 NBA season, but they are reportedly not yet done with their roster shakeup.
Recent reports indicated that the Cavaliers are shopping for a center to support their "Big Three" of LeBron James, Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving in the hope of winning the title next season.
Cavaliers general manager David Griffin said that acquiring Love in a trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves provided them with a player who can dominate the boards, but he quickly added in an interview that they are still looking for a "rim protector."
"I have concerns relative to our ability to protect the rim, and that's not just a Kevin question," Griffin said in a Fox Sports Radio interview. "We're going to need to add that, but I don't have any concerns about Kevin's ability to be in the right place at the right time from a team defensive perspective."
Sam Amico of Fox Sports reported that the Cavaliers were eyeing Greg Oden, who could be an effective defensive player if healthy. However, Cleveland aborted their pursuit of the former first overall pick after he was arrested for battery charges.
Brian Windhorst of ESPN also reported that Cavaliers coach David Blatt wanted to get a hand at Timofey Mozgov, whom he coached with the Russian national team in several international competitions.
The Cavaliers inquired about the availability of Mozgov, but the Denver Nuggets have no plans to trade the 28-year-old center, who averaged 9.4 points to go along with 6.4 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game last season.
Another option for the Cavaliers is Emeka Okafor, who is reportedly getting a lot of interest on the free-agency market despite missing the entire 2013-14 NBA season due to a herniated disk.
Marc Stein of ESPN reported on Sunday that the Cavaliers are among the teams who are eyeing the 31-year-old center, who averaged 9.7 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.0 block per game during the 2012-13 NBA season with the Phoenix Suns before being traded to the Washington Wizards in October last year.
If no deal is reached before the season, the Cavaliers will have to rely on a frontline rotation composed of Love, Anderson Varejao, Tristan Thompson and Brendan Haywood. Both Varejao and Haywood have suffered from different injuries over the past several seasons.
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