NBA Rumors: Cavaliers ‘Widely Expected’ To Trade Kyle Korver To A Contender, Per ‘The Athletic’
Despite mostly coming off the bench, Kyle Korver has played a significant role in his first two NBA seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers. However, now that LeBron James is gone and with the team planning to take a different route, the 37-year-old shooting guard slowly finds himself out of the Cavaliers’ rotation.
On Saturday night, Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported that Kyle Korver, together with Channing Frye and J.R. Smith, met with Cavaliers Head Coach Tyronn Lue and General Manager Koby Altman to discuss their future with the team. The Cavaliers reportedly informed the three veterans they are going to be out of the lineup to give more playing time to their young players.
The Cavaliers may not have said it in public, but it seems like Kyle Korver, Channing Frye, and J.R. Smith are no longer part of their long-term plan. Despite the possibility of spending the upcoming games sitting on the bench, Korver doesn’t seem to be worried about his future in Cleveland.
“I think we’re trying to figure a lot of things out across the board,” Korver said. “Trying to find lineups that work, trying to find a fun style of play. There’s a lot of new here and it hasn’t been that long yet.”
Kyle Korver not concerned about lack of playing time: 'We're trying to figure a lot of things out' – https://t.co/FNjha4oP91 pic.twitter.com/m233e74mUk
— Thisiss News (@Thisiss_News) October 24, 2018
In their recent game against the Brooklyn Nets, Cavaliers Head Coach Tyronn Lue decided to bring Kyle Korver and J.R. Smith back in their rotation. Unfortunately, they are still unable to secure their first win in the 2018-19 NBA season. The Cavaliers failed to defend their home once again against an NBA team who is still in the middle of a rebuilding process.
If they keep struggling, it will not be a surprise if the Cavaliers become aggressive on the market and unload some of their veterans. One of the players who could be on his way out of Cleveland is Kyle Korver. According to Joe Vardon of The Athletic, the Cavaliers are “widely expected” to trade the veteran shooting guard to a contender before the February NBA trade deadline.
“In Korver’s case, he’s only taken two 3s all season and played a total of 19 minutes. The Cavs are widely expected to trade him to a contender in need of shooting at some point, but they haven’t gone to the market yet since camp started to make a deal.”
As of now, Cleveland is no longer an ideal place to stay for Kyle Korver. Even if the Cavaliers succeed to earn a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, they are currently not in a position to challenge powerhouse teams like the Boston Celtics and the Toronto Raptors in a best-of-seven series. Korver will surely love to spend his remaining years in the league competing for the NBA championship title. In exchange for the 37-year-old sharpshooter, the Cavaliers could demand future draft picks that will enable them to add young and promising talents on their roster.
