Cleveland Cavaliers Rumors: Andrew Wiggins Signing Could Force Trade
Cleveland Cavaliers rumors suggest that the team will sign Andrew Wiggins sometime this week. According to Brian Windhorst of ESPN, sources close to the team have leaked rumors that the Cavaliers want to offer Wiggins a contract in the neighborhood of $5.5 million. While signing Wiggins would mean the Cleveland Cavaliers could not trade their number one pick for the next month, it does not mean the Cavaliers trade rumors will come to an end.
The reason the Cavaliers have waited so long to sign Andrew Wiggins is not only because they have been shopping him around in a potential trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves for Kevin Love. When the Cavaliers signed LeBron James earlier this month, they ate up much of their remaining cap room, leaving only $1.4 million remaining in salary cap space (after signing Brendan Haywood). By signing Andrew Wiggins they will exceed the salary cap. In order to sign Wiggins and one more league veteran besides Mike Miller, who will be signed using the veterans exception, the Cleveland Cavaliers will most likely need to pursue a trade. The question is, who?
Although Cleveland Cavaliers trade rumors have centered around Andrew Wiggins, the reality is they have two other valuable assets that teams may be interested in. Dion Waiters and Anthony Bennett are both young, promising players who could contribute to a contender immediately. Waiters is set to make $4,062,000 this season and if traded for a future draft pick would clear the necessary space to make room for Andrew Wiggins without the team having to enter into the luxury tax. However, Waiters is the team’s only legitimate option at the two guard position with the exception of Wiggins. Trading Waiters means the team must sign Ray Allen to fill the gap, though they could only offer him the veterans minimum of $1.4 million.
The most recent Cleveland Cavaliers rumors point to Anthony Bennet being put on the table by the team. Those rumors are connected to the potential Kevin Love trade, but it is possible that the Cavaliers will decide to keep Wiggins and instead send Bennett packing. By trading Anthony Bennett, they may be able to get more value in return, who will be paid $5,563,920 this season. Also, the Cavaliers are much deeper at forward and could afford to move Bennett to make salary cap space and sign one more veteran shooter.
If the rumors of the Cleveland Cavaliers signing Andrew Wiggins prove to be true, don’t rule out the Kevin Love trade just yet. The most intelligent move by the Cavaliers would be to hold onto to Wiggins and see how he does up until the trade deadline. If it looks as if Kevin Love would give them a better chance to win at that point, it will be much easier for Cleveland to make the swap with a desperate Timberwolves team.
[Images via Jeff Jacobsen/Kansas Athletics and ajansspor.com]
