NBA Trade Rumors: Andrew Bogut Heading To The Cleveland Cavaliers, Lakers Getting Goran Dragic

The Cleveland Cavaliers are in need of some tweaking to their lineup if they want to stay ahead of rival Golden State Warriors. The Cavaliers are already actively shopping for a backup point guard and may acquire one before the trade deadline passes. However, Cleveland may need to address another problem that their roster has, and that is the center position.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have Tristan Thompson at the center position, and while he is one of the best rebounders in the NBA right now, the Cavaliers lack a true rim protector. Cleveland may not need it in the regular season and will probably still cruise to the finals. But the team will certainly need a rim protector if they do meet the Warriors in the finals.

According to Fox Sports, the Cleveland Cavaliers are one of the worst shot blocking team in the league. They are also one of the worst teams to allow second chance points. This will be a big disaster for Cleveland in the post season if left as is. That is why the Cavaliers are also searching for a big man that can swat shots inside the paint to go along another playmaker who can relieve Kyrie Irving.

One such prospect for the Cleveland Cavaliers is Mavs’ big man, Andrew Bogut. According to sources, the Mavs are seriously considering trading the big man before the deadline ends. They also have good reason to do so as Andrew Bogut has not been as productive for the Mavericks as they were hoping he would be. Plus, Andrew Bogut has been openly quoted as saying that he will most likely move on once his contract with the Mavs is up. With so much to lose, the Mavericks needs to unload Bogut fast or risk losing him for nothing. This has got to be music to Cleveland’s ears.

The Cleveland Cavaliers might just get the piece that they need in Andrew Bogut. Bogut is a big body and does rim protection duties quite well. The Cavaliers can also solve Thompson’s lack of backup option as Bogut will be able to give their prized rebounder some much-needed rest. The Cleveland Cavaliers will also not give up their already great rebounding numbers because despite having poor offensive stats, Bogut can still rebound a good chunk which will be a bonus to the Cavaliers.

As a bonus, Bogut was also part of the championship Golden State team that beat Cleveland. The Cavaliers will be wise to use his insight and help shed some much-needed perspective on the Warriors. With Bogut’s Mavs situation already a total mess, the Cleveland Cavaliers should definitely find ways to get him next to nothing.

There are also some rumors that the Cleveland Cavaliers are trying to, as they say, “kill two birds with one stone.” The Cavaliers are hatching a trade that would get them both Deron Williams and Andrew Bogut. This will solve Cleveland’s point guard and rim protection woes.

Elsewhere, the Lakers are rumoured to be in the process of getting a point guard. This will allow the team to move D’Angelo Russell into the shooting guard position. The names that are being floated around are Rajon Rondo and Ricky Rubio. However, if those two don’t pan out, then a third candidate is being looked at and that is Goran Dragic.

According to Forbes, the odds of the Miami Heat trading Goran Dragic is at 25 percent. This gives the Lakers some opening if they really want to try out the D’Angelo Russell experiment. Recent rumblings of a power shift within the Lakers’ organization might just force their GM to take drastic measures.

Putting Russell in the shooting guard position may not entirely be a bad idea. The young guard has shown a great propensity for scoring but has a lot of questionable playmaking decision. He can learn from someone like Dragic running the ship. Dragic will also facilitate the ball more and will benefit guys like Julius Randle and Brandon Ingram. Having a guy like Goran Dragic will greatly aid the woeful Lakers in terms of developing their young but talented roster.

Watch out for more developments from the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Lakers as the trade deadline fast approaches.

[Featured Image by Tony Dejak/AP Images]