The Wilson Chandler Trades, Part I: The Eastern Conference
By Tim Hart
Cleveland Cavaliers
ESPN’s NBA Trade Machine Results: Cavaliers Unaffected, Nuggets -1 Wins
The Trade Machine suggests that the Cavaliers would come out of this trade with the advantage. This may surprise fans, as Kevin Love’s value seems greater than both Faried’s and Chandler’s.
Why the Cavaliers would do it:
They probably wouldn’t. They just won an NBA Championship with the big-three in place, so why change it up? For some reason fans seem to think that Kevin Love’s talents may be better suited elsewhere. So, if Love where to be traded, Denver might not be a bad place to shop.
By adding Faried and Chandler to the roster, the Cavaliers would have two players capable of specifically matching Kevin Love’s talents as called upon. Chandler could make up for Love’s ability to shoot threes, while Faried could go in for rebounding and paint-protection. The two could split the PF position to the Cavaliers, and turn their big three into the Kyrie and Lebron show. I’d watch it.
Mo Williams for Jameer Nelson was thrown in for fun, mostly because I think that Williams would be a better mentor for Nuggets rookie Jamal Murray. The Cavaliers shouldn’t suffer from this transaction.
Why the Nuggets would do it:
They would have Kevin Love. Love would likely return to his former glory, which we saw from him as a Timberwolf. The Nuggets would have a replacement bench option for Chandler in Dunleavy, and a better suited mentor for Jamal Murray in Mo Williams. The Nuggets would take this trade in a heartbeat. They would probably throw in draft picks to sweeten the deal, and it’d be worth it.
Next: Detroit Pistons