The Cleveland Cavaliers have widely been considered one of the most active teams in the trade market with the deadline approaching. It seems as though it is a matter of when, not if, the Cavaliers will make a deal, so the question is whether it will be a big trade or a smaller one. The Cavaliers are looking for help either on the wings or at the power forward position, but they are definitely looking for shooters. One of the players the Cavs have their eyes on is Ben McLemore of the Sacramento Kings, according to Chris Haynes of Cleveland.com.
McLemore is just 23 years old and is in his third season in the league, but the former seventh overall pick hasn't lived up to the hype yet. The Kings have reportedly been declining any trade requests for McLemore, but there are those who believe that they could change course because of the turmoil surrounding the organization.
The Kings might face external pressure to make some moves, and that could mean moving on from McLemore, who has been underutilized by coach George Karl. It has also been said that agents of players on the Kings have been trying to get their clients out of Sacramento due to the situation, so McLemore could be looking for a change of scenery.
The Cavaliers have been linked to many different players on the trade market including Jared Dudley, Kyle Korver and McLemore. Cleveland is not the only team that has expressed "strong interest" in McLemore, though, as a handful of teams are in the mix, according to Tyler Conway of Bleacher Report.
If the Kings decide to trade McLemore and it becomes a bidding war, Cleveland will likely be out of luck. The Cavaliers don't have much to offer in the way of trades, and although McLemore's value is relatively low right now, other teams will be able to offer more for the former Kansas Jayhawks star. The best trade chip the Cavaliers have is Timofey Mozgov, but he is more than likely not of interest to Sacramento, considering they have DeMarcus Cousins and Willie Cauley-Stein at center.
McLemore is averaging a career-low 7.7 points per game so far this year, but he has been more efficient than ever before. McLemore's 45 percent clip from the field and 37 percent clip from three are both career highs. That coupled with the fact that he is not being used much by the Kings is a good explanation as to why they are getting a lot of calls on the talented guard. The best bet remains that McLemore isn't traded, but if the Kings open up to the idea, the Cavaliers will certainly be in the mix.
