The Cleveland Cavaliers lost Thursday night to the San Antonio Spurs, which ended an eight-game winning streak, but they still look like the clear favorites in the Eastern Conference. Cleveland has one of the best rosters in all of basketball but could still possibly use some help via trades with the deadline approaching. Players on the Cavaliers are willing to do whatever it takes to win this season, and that includes bringing in Markieff Morris via trade, according to Chris Haynes of Cleveland.com.
Trades were a big part of Cleveland's success last season, as they brought in Timofey Mozgov, J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert, and they are still big parts of the team. This season, Cleveland has a $10.5 million trade exception that Morris' $8 million salary would fit under, and the players feel as though they would be able to get a lot out of him because his role wouldn't be that big and the team has plenty of veteran leadership.
Morris has fallen out of favor big time with the Phoenix Suns and has been on the trading block for a while, so he can likely be had in a trade. Cleveland is reportedly intrigued by the idea of having another stretch four behind Kevin Love, but they likely won't pull the trigger on a deal for Morris because they are concerned that he can upset team chemistry. Another potential hang-up in a possible deal for Morris is the fact that the Suns would likely want assets for him in a deal, and the Cavaliers are low on those considering they are in win-now mode.
Just because a deal for Morris is unlikely, however, doesn't mean the Cavaliers will be quiet before the trade deadline. Cleveland is reportedly searching for a defensive-minded wing that can make spot up threes because they want a hedge should Shumpert get hurt again. It is still possible that things could change on the Morris front for Cleveland if they suffer an injury or have a change of heart, but for now, their focus seems to be on the wing instead of power forward.
Even though Morris coming to the Cavaliers seems very unlikely, the willingness of the Cavaliers players to bring him into the locker room shows that they are willing to do whatever it takes to get a title this year. Morris has had his issues, specifically in the locker room, but the Cavs know that he would help them on the court, and that is clearly paramount to them right now.
