As this year’s NBA Feb. 23 trade deadline draws near, many teams around the association are still looking to bolster their respective rosters, including the defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers.
It’s a fairly well-known fact that the Cavs are in need of a backup point guard to run their offense off the bench. Over the past few weeks, the names of several potential candidates have surfaced, including Mario Chalmers, Jarrett Jack, Norris Cole, Jameer Nelson, Nate Robinson and even Rajon Rondo. There have been other names swirling about, but let’s move forward.
According to ESPN’s Marc Stein, the Cavs have shown interest 26-year-old Utah Jazz point guard, Shelvin Mack. The former Butler Bulldog and 34th overall selection in the 2011 NBA Draft (Washington Wizards) is currently averaging 7.9 points and 2.9 assists through 42 games for the Jazz and is slated to make $2.4 million this year. Sources tell Stein the Mack is “most definitely available.”
Mack, who was awarded with an NBA D-League All-Star nod in 2013 as a member of the Maine Red Claws, is currently serving as a backup with the Jazz, but would fit right into one of Cleveland’s traded player exceptions, as Stein writes.
The simpler option for the reigning champions, as opposed to a Melo-sized blockbuster deal, might prove to be a smaller swap in which the Cavaliers absorb the salary of a veteran point guard into their $4.4 million Anderson Varejao trade exception that expires Feb. 20,” Stein writes. “Sources say one vet known to interest the Cavs — one who possesses a salary that would fit into that exception — is Utah’s Shelvin Mack at $2.4 million. Mack, according to sources, is most definitely available.”
At this point, all we can do is speculate on who the defending champs, who are already paying the highest salary of any NBA team, might bring in. Mack, however, could be a viable option.