As the NBA trade deadline is quickly approaching it is clear that many NBA teams are out there trying to beef up their roster. On the other end, teams are looking to sell the farm as they look at rebuilding their team for the future. With many teams in the eastern conference looking to better their roster in order to compete with the Cleveland Cavaliers, teams will not like this news. The Cavs have traded for the deadly 3 point marksman, Kyle Korver.
They say the rich keep getting richer. That is very true for the Cleveland Cavaliers. They made a statement by signing Kyle Korver. They may be the reigning NBA Champs, but they are still gunning for the Golden State Warriors. With J.R. Smith missing time with a broken thumb, this trade will help the Cleveland Cavaliers immensely. Not to mention, they will have another dead eye shooter out on the perimeter. With all of the attention LeBron, Kyrie, and Kevin Love all get, it is almost certain Korver will see lots 3 point opportunities.
The trade was made official on Saturday with rumors being started earlier on in the week. In exchange for Kyle Korver, the Atlanta Hawks will receive a 2019 protected pick, Mike Dunleavy, and Mo Williams. It is said that the Hawks wanted him to go to a championship contender because he has been such an important piece in their organization. It is clear that the Atlanta Hawks want to rebuild so that opened the door for the trade.
Kyle Korver is a great shooter. He happens to be one of the best in the league. He has made 43% of his shots from 3 throughout his career. Korver is shooting about 40% from 3 this season and averaging about 9.5 points a night. He was an all-star in 2015.
The Cleveland Cavaliers and General Manager David Griffith remain impressive near trade deadlines. In the past they have made key trades for Channing Frye, Iman Shumpert, J.R. Smith, and Timofey Mozgov. These were all key trades that helped the Cleveland Cavaliers win a NBA Championship. Korver is just another key addition to that list.
Although trading for Korver solved some issue there is yet one issue that needs addressed. The Cleveland Cavaliers need a back-up point guard. LeBron made it clear the the work is not yet done. There are many options out there and I think the Cavs will be able to figure that part of the equation out. This is not a knock against rookie Kay Felder. He is just not at the point where he can log large sums of minutes come playoffs. Iman Shumpert has been playing some point guard as well. It is interesting to see what the Cavs will do next. It is also interesting to see what other teams around the league will do to match the Cleveland Cavaliers.