Should the Cavs Stay Put on Trades?

[Niko23]

Guys - this is much less about a Power Forward than it is to acquire a legit second scoring option. Jamison has been very consistent in that category this year, while Butler has not. This team needs one more scoring option, that will be reliable in a 7 game series, until I can feel confident about our championship hopes.

And like someone else said, I think it was BB, we need to use our assets now to build for the long term. Its more than just about this year

[mcfly1204]

I think Butler fits our needs better than Jamison. The two things that do it for me are his defense and his ability to take people off the dribble. His contract is also a lot friendly given it is a year shorter than Jamison's, and he makes roughly $7 million less per season.

[Benedict_Boozer]

I like Butler but I would prefer to add a front-court piece because you can't contend in the NBA without good bigs. Epsecially not against teams like LA and ORL.

This year Shaq/Z is enough to get it done but unless Shaq has a Kareem like finish and can stay effective until he's 40, we need to bring in some young talent to our front line.

[JonFromVA]

He would be taking Hickson's spot, plus 10-15 minutes from Varejao.

Z would be traded, so Andy would get all of his minutes at backup C. Either Hickson or Powe would be paired with Andy, but it wouldn't need to be much as Jamison is capable of playing a lot of minutes.

When Z returns, and Powe is activated ... things would be pretty crowded.

[Gavin06]

I don't understand the love that Butler sometimes gets...My sense is that Jamison would be much more willing to make the personal sacrifices necessary to help the Cavs win the championship, in terms of losing a few shot attempts and playing more focused defense...More to the point, the Cavs simply have a much better shot at Jamison. Butler is relatively easy to trade, Jamison not so much. I think there's a good chance the Wizards will eventually bite on a Jamison trade.

I really don't understand the "stand pat" argument. Using the Z trade chip is the last chance the Cavs have to upgrade the roster till summer 2011 at the earliest. A trade before the deadline will be for next year as much as it is for this one. We are players in a lot of trade scenarios right now...After this season, our options will be extremely limited. Plus, even if Powe does play, we have a big man rotation with only one decent shooter (Z), and even he isn't very reliable anymore. This is a glaring weakness on the team.

I don't see any point to the argument the team should build cap space (for when? 2011? 2012?). I don't see the Miami model as one we want to follow. So long as the team still has LeBron and a competitive financial advantage, the Cavs should continue to trade for veterans on teams that are financially distressed or looking to rebuild...I know Ferry's preference is to build from within (via the draft and by developing players overseas), but the team needs to continue to pursue the trade route, even if it does mean taking moderately more risk than Ferry has so far been willing to do.

[TheOUTLAW]

I don't think there is any chance that the Cavs stay put if they can get a deal done. That being said, I also think Jamison is a better option than Butler. Butler does have the cheaper contract which is one reason that Washington isn't likely to be trying to move him. Butler also isn't really a 2nd option or consistent scorer like Jamison.

[Baseline Runner]

If you discount this year Jamison and Butler have been nearly identical in production. Over the last three years Butler has averaged 20 ppg, 7 reb, 4 ast, 2 stl, .450 FG%, .870 FT% while Jamison has averaged 21 ppg, 9 reb, 1.5 ast, 1 stl, .450 FG%, .750 FT%. Butler is also 4 years younger than Jamison.

[Triumph36]

I think Butler fits our needs better than Jamison. The two things that do it for me are his defense and his ability to take people off the dribble. His contract is also a lot friendly given it is a year shorter than Jamison's, and he makes roughly $7 million less per season.

And that means he's going to be easier to move. Washington is reluctant to deal Jamison to Cleveland, there's almost no way they'd move a more valuable player for roughly the same package. They'd really prefer to avoid doing us any favors.

[PS&E G.S.]

Piston Fan here, What would you guys thing of something like Prince, Hamilton, and Maxiell for Shaq ( waived), Powe (or other short term contract filler), and your 2010 1st rnd pick. We are obviously in rebuilding mode, so cap space and picks are interested in. You get another scorer in Rip and a serviceable back up for LeBron in Prince ( and he expires after next season).

I feel it will be a while before we are competitive again. By the time we rebuild those two won't be a major part of the team. That being said, I believe Rip and Prince deserve to be moved to a contender. We owe them that for everything that the two have done for us. Your team is in a unique position this year, every other team is looking to free up cap space to get LeBron. You don't have to. This trade dose not hurt us because by the time we improve enough to challenge you, those two would not help us anyway. Trading the three of them lets us develop our younger players and gives us the cap room to retool. By keeping Rip and Tayshaun we doom ourselves to mediocrity.

I honestly think that this is good for all parties. What do you think?

[TheOUTLAW]

This is just going to be another place for people to discuss trades so continue the discussion in the trade thread.

In addition, I don't see any scenario that the Cavs trade Shaq.