Denver Nuggets center Timofey Mozgov reportedly remains one of the most coveted assets in the league. Among the teams said to be interested in trading for Mozgov are the Cleveland Cavaliers, who're still in need of a rim-protector.
Mozgov showed his upside last season with 9.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.2 blocked shots in just over 20 minutes per game. On top of that, the 7-foot-1 center has a team-friendly contract: $4.65 million this season and a club option worth $4.95 million the next.
Although teams are interested in acquiring the 28-year-old from Denver, it's uncertain if the Nuggets would seriously consider shipping him off.
Per Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post:
"It's unclear whether (JaVale) McGee will be ready for Denver's season opener Oct. 29 against Detroit, and that has given Mozgov yet another jump-start on gaining a foothold at the position. He ran with that opportunity last season and raised his profile.
"During the past calendar year, Mozgov arguably has been the Nuggets' most-coveted trade asset. Teams called last winter and throughout the summer. That's not likely to change, because with a $4.6 million salary, Mozgov is one of the best bangs for the buck in the NBA."
Cleveland reportedly was one of the teams interested in Mozgov, although they would need to give up a lot to land him.
"... (The Cavaliers) don't have enough to get him unless they explore trading Waiters," Basketball Insiders' Nate Duncan wrote Sept. 9. "Thompson probably doesn't get it done. Maybe the Grizzlies pick (top-five protected and 15-30 protected through 2016, top-five protected in 2017 and 2018, unprotected in 2019) from the Memphis Grizzlies (Marreese Speights) gets it done, but I wouldn't be parting with that if I were Cleveland."
The latest report from Cleveland, though, is the team won't seriously explore making a trade until after Dec. 15.
