NBA Trade Rumors: Cleveland Cavaliers, Portland Trail Blazers Trade Coming?

NBA trade rumors reveal that the Cleveland Cavaliers want to make a deal with the Portland Trail Blazers. The NBA offseason hasn’t concluded for the Cavs, as the team is still trying to figure out ways to improve its roster for the 2015-16 season. A report from Blazers Edge (On SB Nation) indicates that the Cavs want to deal center Brendan Haywood to the Blazers in a trade that might help both teams.

The Cavaliers owe Brendan Haywood just over $10.5 million for the 2015-16 NBA season, but it is a non-guaranteed contract. The way the league rules work, the Blazers could take on Haywood without having to send back any players. This is the benefit to a team being so far under the salary cap, and now the Blazers could potentially benefit from being fiscally responsible.

These NBA trade rumors indicate that the Cavs would receive a player trade exception for making the deal, basically giving the team money to spend during the season. That exception could then be used to either sign another free agent (like possibly J.R. Smith) or take on a contract during the regular season. The team would have almost a year to use the trade exception, making it very valuable to a team looking to get back to the postseason.

A big reason for the Portland Trail Blazers to do this is that the Cavs could send a future draft pick along with Haywood. Even if it is just a second-round selection in the 2020 NBA Draft, the Blazers would be getting it for nothing. Since the contract Haywood has is non-guaranteed, the Blazers can simply waive him and get out of paying his salary. It just becomes an easy way to add a draft pick, even though it would help the Cavs quite a bit. Since the teams are in different conferences, the Blazers won’t worry too much about helping them out.

As previously reported by the Inquisitr, the Cleveland Cavaliers have been trying to trade Haywood since before the 2015 NBA Draft took place. The team was unable to find a team that would agree to take him on under the parameters that would be offered to the Blazers. No Eastern Conference team would want to risk improving the Cavs through a deal like this, but the Blazers might just do it. It will be interesting to see how these NBA trade rumors play out, and if the Cavs and Blazers can agree on something soon.

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