2014 NBA Free Agency Rumors & Predictions: Joakim Noah To Cleveland? Cavs Willing To Trade First Overall Pick For Quality Big Man! Who Can They Get?
The 2014 NBA Free Agency Rumors & Predictions are on, and there is great buzz that big deals will go down as early as draft day. The biggest star of draft day, of course, is the owner of the first overall pick, Cleveland Cavaliers.
Most of the teams in the NBA would like a shot at this draft-much more than they would like to admit. About ten teams consciously tried to get better chances of getting into the lottery by intentionally rebuilding their roster or not improving it. This is called 'tanking.'
Ironically, Cleveland did not tank. They tried to compete, they traded for Luol Deng, they refused to trade Dion Waiters who clashed with their superstar Kyrie Irving-they really wanted to reach the playoffs but fell short. At 9th place with just a 1.7 percent chance of winning, they did it again.
Cleveland GM David Griffin talked to ESPN: "I actually got calls right afterward, while I was standing there doing media. Teams were already reaching out and texting, so I think it will be an active period of time."
Chad Ford, ESPN's draft expert, believes that the Cavs are already a step above rebuilding and now they actually want to contend: "I think the Cavs are the most interested in trading the pick. The Bucks and Sixers are in a rebuild and highly value those picks they have. The Cavs are going to want a youngish veteran All-Star in return. Kevin Love is the obvious choice here. Joakim Noah. LaMarcus Aldridge. Al Horford. That's what it is going to take."
Among those names mentioned, Kevin Love is the highest on most teams' wishlist. It's unlikely that Minnesota will accept just the first overall pick in this year's draft for him. Joakim Noah is a realistic target but his trade value is at its peak after he was named to the All-NBA team. However, Noah to the Cavs would finally give them the defensive inside presence they lacked even during the time of LeBron James.
There are three glittering prizes in this year's draft, but the most likely no.1 is Joel Embiid. If all the pieces fall into place, Embiid could become better than any of the big men mentioned. But he is still very raw and there's absolutely no guarantee for that.
The Cavs may not be willing to gamble. Their team has a very young leader in Kyrie Irving so they want a veteran in the inside. If the Cavs would re-sign Luol Deng, it could be a lure for Noah but they are just too loyal to Chicago and coach Tom Thibodeau.
A more feasible target would be Al Horford, Noah's college teammate and star of the Atlanta Hawks. He's been playing center simply because Atlanta doesn't have one. Embiid is a center and the Hawks can be patient in his development.