Cleveland Cavaliers NBA Trade Rumors: Cavs Interested in Hawks' Kent Bazemore
Kent Bazemore seems to have caught the eye of the Cleveland Cavaliers as they continue to search for solutions to their problems on defense.
According to NBA.com's David Aldridge, the Cavaliers have reportedly reached out to the Atlanta Hawks to inquire about Bazemore's availability.
Bazemore is not exactly a lockdown perimeter defender in the mold of Tony Allen, but he has been quite productive as an athletic three-and-D wing in the past few seasons and he is capable of guarding multiple positions. He's exactly what the team needs right now and he's a significant upgrade over the likes of J.R. Smith, Iman Shumpert and Kyle Korver on the defensive end of the court.
Last month, Basketball Insiders' Steve Kyler had reported that the Hawks may be willing to move Bazemore for the right price.
"League sources say the right combination of ending contracts and a first-round pick, even one highly protected might be enough to get Bazemore in trade, especially for a team looking for a scoring punch," Kyler said in his report.
"Of all of the players likely to be moved this trade season, Bazemore may be one of the harder players to trade, but if a team were serious about trying to get him, the word is he could be had and for not a lot in return," he added.
Well, the Cavaliers can ship veteran big man Channing Frye and his expiring contract to Atlanta as part of the deal, but it remains to be seen if they are willing to give up a first-round draft pick for the Hawks swingman.
Bazemore is averaging 12.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.8 steals in under 29 minutes this season. He's also shooting 41.5 percent from the field, 38.2 percent from beyond the three-point line, and 78.7 percent at the free-throw stripe.
