The names may not be big, but the trade today between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Utah Jazz may have huge implications in the near future.
Yahoo’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports that the Cavs have traded Carrick Felix, a future second round pick, and $1 million to the Jazz in exchange for John Lucas, Malcolm Thomas, and Erik Murphy, all of whom are on non-guaranteed contracts. This move gives Cleveland three tempting pieces to use in any Kevin Love deal, as acquiring then immediately cutting those three guys would provide Minnesota with over $3 million in salary cap relief.
The Cavaliers and Timberwolves have been inching slowly towards a deal, with both sides making a lot of demands that are slowly fading away. Cleveland has agreed to give up No. 1 pick Andrew Wiggins in a deal, and the latest sticking point appears to be Minnesota’s insistence that J.J. Barea and Kevin Martin also be included in any Love trade.
Once Wiggins signs his rookie deal he cannot be traded for 30 days, so the teams will need to move a little more quickly if they want to get something done.
[via Yahoo]
