The Cavaliers are holding a golden ticket in Brendan Haywood’s contract. Unless you’ve been under a rock for the past 12 months you know how valuable the contract can be for the team. For those of you that have no idea what I’m talking about, here it is: The Cavaliers hold a team option for Brendan Haywood for $10.5 million. If he is waived by August 2nd, the deal is not guaranteed and it clears cap space. $10.5 million could net the Cavaliers some serious assets. Let’s take a look at some of the targets.
DeMar DeRozan
DeRozan is signed for one year and a $10.1 million player option that he will most certainly decline next off-season. The deals would match perfectly. Not only is DeRozan a shooting guard, he could push Iman Shumpert to the bench and allow the team to let J.R. Smith walk. Smith is asking for a three year $24 million dollar deal. The Raptors just signed DeMarre Carroll to a four year $60 million deal. There has been a rumor that the owner feels the current core has reached their ceiling and wants to shake up the roster. Currently, they’re pursuing Wes Matthews even after the signing of Carroll. The 6’7’’ guard averaged 20 points, four rebounds, and three assists. A lineup featuring Kyrie Irving, DeRozan, LeBron James, Kevin Love, and Timofey Mozgov could be legendary.
Marcus Morris
Marcus Morris is the twin brother to Markieff and is now the odd man out with the signing of Tyson Chandler. Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Suns have “legitimately” closed the gap with the Spurs in signing LaMarcus Aldridge. After signing Brandon Knight to a massive five year $70 million deal, the team doesn’t have much cap space, so it will take some creativity. The Suns currently have Alex Len and Markieff under contract, which would leave Marcus available. He shot 35.8% from the 3-point line this season including 10 points per game. Standing at 6’9’’, Morris could be a solid backup for Kevin Love and the team would not miss a single beat with the second unit. If a trade were executed, another Suns player would have to be included.
Jamal Crawford
Jamal Crawford would be a huge get for the Cavaliers. His ability to spot up from 3 after a drive by LeBron would match perfectly. Crawford is due a non-guaranteed $5.675 million. He would be a perfect Sixth Man off the bench and would be a much cheaper and more efficient option than J.R. Smith. By trading Haywood to the Clippers, they would be able to waive him and go after DeAndre Jordan. Crawford averaged 15.8 points per game this season.