The Cleveland Cavaliers are reportedly making Luol Deng available in any trade before the deadline in hopes of continuously improving their playoff chances this season.
The Cavaliers acquired Deng in a trade that sent Andrew Bynum to the Chicago Bulls last month, but the deal, which was supposed to bring drastic improvements to Cleveland, has yet to pan out at this point of the season.
It is no secret that Deng, a 10-year veteran, has not felt comfortable with his new teammates and coaches since the deal with previous reports indicating that the former Bulls forward labeled the Cavs' locker room as a complete mess.
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Deng's number has been down as well since moving to Cleveland.
In 23 games with the Bulls, Deng averaged a career-high 19.0 points and 6.9 rebounds per game, but it went down to 14.6 points and 4.9 rebounds in his first 18 games this season.
The All-Star forward will become an unrestricted free agent after the current season, and sources believe that the Cavaliers are not confident about their chances of re-signing Deng in the offseason.
Several teams with cap room this summer like the Los Angeles Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks have already signified their intention of making a run at Deng in the offseason, and this is one of the reasons why the Cavaliers are now trying to trade Deng instead of losing him for nothing in the offseason.
"The Cavs, according to sources, are concerned about their ability to re-sign Deng this offseason, as he'll be an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career. Several teams with cap space, including the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks, are expected to be interested in signing Deng," Brian Windhorst of ESPN reported.
The Cavaliers gave up three future draft picks along with Bynum to acquire Deng from the Bulls last month, but it is still unclear at this point whether or not they can get the same value in return if they trade the former Duke standout before the deadline.
Cavaliers sophomore guard Dion Waiters has been drawing significant interest as well with sources saying that at least one team offered a high draft pick, but Cleveland look reluctant to move the 22-year-old guard.
"Plenty of teams also calling #Cavs about Dion Waiters, with at least one offering 1st-round draft pick, sources say. Deal seems unlikely," Fox Sports' Sam Amico posted on his Twitter account.
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