Worst Gets to Know First: A Cleveland Cavaliers Discussion

This situation is probably not one that would happen, but the Cavs did lose Timofey Mozgov in free agency, so who knows. Hypothetically, what would you give up for either Jahlil Okafor or Nerlens Noel 

Rakos:

"Honestly, I’m not great at hypothesizing trades and I’ve always been impressed with those who can think up viable trade ideas. I haven’t been able to watch the 76ers besides when they play the Cavs. I think Jahlil is a talented center, which is very desirable. But I can’t say I know how athletic he is in terms of guarding every position, which was a huge part of the Cavs success this year (e.g. Tristan Thompson‘s ability to defend Curry and even Kevin Love‘s defense in Game 7). I think Noel is a little more athletic in this sense and might fit with the Cavs slightly better, but again I don’t really know. The Cavs are power forward-heavy though and don’t have a true center, so Jahlil would be more of a necessity. I think both are very talented though and, if traded, would warrant some serious talent in return."

Ferguson:

"This is such an interesting topic. I like Okafor’s game, but the Cavs need a rim protector. Even though they signed Chris Andersen, whose role will specifically be protecting the rim and rebounding, the Cavs need someone with better size and is more athletic and I believe Noel fits that role well. Exploring what the Cavs would give up is tough because Iman Shumpert would be the ideal trade piece, but he’s coming off of a horrible season. The Sixers may want a younger guy like Jordan McRae or DeAndre Liggins, who have NBA ability in parts of their games, but their weaknesses make it difficult to give them playing time, and I’m not sure McRae fits in with the Sixers right now. The other guy that seems tradeable is Channing Frye, who could fit with the second unit as a scorer. Cleveland would also have to move a first round pick, which I’m sure wouldn’t be a problem. I just don’t see any way that the Cavs can send enough to bait the Sixers into trading Noel or Okafor, though Cleveland should trade for Noel."

As a response to Aaron, I do agree that McRae doesn’t fit with the Sixers right now, but it was a ton of fun to watch him play for the Delaware 87ers last season, as he was incredibly dominant. I was frustrated when the Sixers didn’t give him a 10-day contract throughout last season.

Next: Final question