Marcus Thornton is now one of the top free agents available on the market. After the Houston Rockets released the shooting guard, several teams emerged interested in hopes of acquiring one more playmaker to help push a roster to the playoffs. The Miami Heat were the frontrunners, but after a minor setback, a deal will not get done.
The Heat have been active since the trade deadline. The team acquired Joe Johnson, who has been a huge difference maker for the Heat. Miami is trying to climb the ranks of the Eastern Conference in hopes of competing with the Cavaliers. The addition of Johnson certainly helps that effort. Miami also wanted Thornton, but that deal cannot happen anymore.
The Heat suffered a setback in its pursuit of Thornton after no one claimed Beno Udrih. They waived the point guard due to injury, but he went unclaimed on waivers. That means the Heat did not create the tax space needed to add Thornton. The Heat now cannot add an additional player until the final week of the regular season. Unless the team cuts another player, they cannot make any more roster changes meaning Thornton is not headed to South Beach. While the point guard is interested in Miami, he is not going to wait until the final week of the season to sign with a team when his stock is high now.
That opens the door for the Cleveland Cavaliers who had interest once Thornton hit the market. The Cavaliers have been looking to add one more body to the roster for the rest of the year. They were interested in Joe Johnson and even had LeBron James do some recruiting, but he headed to Miami instead. Now, Thorton could be the next player added if he stays available.
Thornton is a good match for Cleveland because of his size. The point guard is only averaging 10 points and 2.4 rebounds per game this season, but at 6'4'', he can be a solid matchup against opponents with smaller lineups. He would be fighting for time on the court with Kyrie Irving and Matthew Dellavedova, but he could still be an asset when needed.
There are other options for the Cavaliers if they do not sign Thornton. Kevin Martin remains on the market despite heavy interest from the San Antonio Spurs. He could be a solid addition for Cleveland as his stats are better than Thornton's. The team needs to make a move quickly if they are serious about it as both players should get picked up quickly.
