While most have now seen the dust start to settle after the Cleveland Cavaliers sent an unhappy Kyrie Irving to the Boston Celtics for a bundle including All-Star point guard Isaiah Thomas, there might still be another piece that is waiting to shipped off.
According to a report by ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, forward Iman Shumpert was also another player requesting a trade after the end of the postseason, with the team previously trying to unload him in failed trade attempts to the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Houston Rockets.
“Cleveland was in talks to trade Shumpert and his $10.3 million contract to Minnesota or Houston, but both deals fell apart,” McMenamin wrote. “Logic would tell you that the Cavs will remain motivated to find a team to take Shumpert.”
Shumpert was seen as a great young defender on the rise, when “grabbed from hell” from the New York Knicks, but has underperformed, failing to log major minutes due to his woes at the offensive end. The 28-year-old hasn’t asserted himself as a reliable deep threat and his offensive contributions have been minuscule since becoming a member of the Cavaliers.
Through his stint with the team, Shumpert has shot 37 and 41 percent in his two seasons with the team, while boasting a decent, but hardly admirable defensive presence.
Worthy to note, Shams Charania of The Vertical countered that Shumpert had made no such trade request but has been actively shopped by the team from the start of the offseason.