The Cleveland Cavaliers are going through their annual mid-season lull, but this year there is no Kyrie Irving to help Lebron turn up the heat down the stretch. They will also be without all-star power forward Kevin Love for the foreseeable future.
Kevin Love has been the second best player on the Cavs this season, averaging 17.9 ppg and 9.4 rpg while shooting over 40% from deep with an eFG of 55.0 and a 22.9 PER. With that much production sidelined for the next several weeks, should the Cavs urgency to add at the deadline heighten? With Lebron James set to hit free agency and the Cavs slipping to just 0.5 a game ahead of the #4 seed in the East, they could desperately use some outside help. Could Nikola Mirotic be in their plans? Mirotic is averaging just 1 point less than Love is (with less playing time) and has a higher eFG%. Mirotic's PER is also 22.2, which is much higher than his career average. Given what we saw with the Pelicans official-then-unofficial trade agreement, it's reasonable to conclude that the Bulls could get the Cavs first rounder if they took on Channing Frye or Iman Shumpert's contract in the trade as well. However, a big hold up would be the Cavs current defensive struggles. Cleveland ranks dead last in the NBA in multiple defensive categories and Mirotic isn't going to help them improve in that area. Especially considering Love has primarily started at center for the Cavs this season. Mirotic would be a disaster trying to protect the rim on a consistent basis. If Cleveland is indeed looking for a temporary Love replacement, it makes more sense for them to go after someone like Deandre Jordan, who can help them immediately on the defensive end while allowing Love to return to his natural position when he returns to the lineup. The Cavs will be searching far and wide for help this deadline, and odds are that they will look into Mirotic. However, with other (and better) options out there for Cleveland, don't hold your breath on the Bulls and Cavs striking a deal.
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