As this season’s NBA trade deadline draws near, teams around the league are keeping a keen eye on which players are available. The Cleveland Cavaliers are no different. In fact, they’ve reportedly offered J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert to the Sacramento Kings for George Hill.
The Kings, now 17-36 overall, are not interested in the deal as it stands, according to Yahoo! Sports. It seems as though they’d like to get another team involved.
“The Cavaliers continue to engage Sacramento on George Hill, sources told Yahoo Sports, and the Kings have quietly been looking for a third team to involve,” Chris Mannix of Yahoo! Sports writes in his recent article. “The Cavs — who have little interest in taking on the $19 million Hill is owed next season — have pushed for J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert to be part of the package, a source said, which the Kings have no interest in. Cleveland has shown a willingness to part with its own first-round pick in other deals, but thus far trading the coveted unprotected Brooklyn Nets pick has not been seriously considered.”
Hill, now 31 years of age, has played in 43 games this season, averaging 10.3 points on 46.3 percent shooting from the field (45.3 percent from beyond the arc), 2.8 assists, and 2.7 rebounds. A 10-year veteran, Hill is in the first of a three-year, $57 million deal.
Shumpert, 27, went down with a knee injury on Nov. 27. The former Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket underwent successful arthroscopic knee surgery and has since recovered.
Smith, 32, has struggled with accuracy at times this season. However, he’s played a bit better in recent games. In his 50 appearances with the Cavs in their 2017-18 campaign, the streaky shooter has turned in averages of 7.9 points on 37.6 percent shooting from the field (34.6 percent from downtown), 3.0 rebounds, and 2.0 assists.
As most hoops fans know, the Cavs acquired Shumpert and Smith by way of a trade with the New York Knicks in January of 2015. It should be noted that both played key roles in Cleveland’s recent success.
Whether or not the Cavs and Kings will be able to complete a deal remains to be seen. The two teams have until Thursday to come to an agreement.