In the off season for the NBA, there is no cessation of activity. Athletes will still need to continue with their fitness regimen and training sessions in order to make sure that they will remain fighting fit by the time the new season kicks off. Not only that, for those who are wondering whether their future lies with the same team would certainly have a fair number of phone calls to make and receive -- from their agents as well as representatives from the other teams in the league. In one of the more recent NBA trade rumors that have churned up quite the amount of froth, we hear that the Cleveland Cavaliers could be looking into trading Iman Shumpert with the Minnesota Timberwolves. In return, the Timberwolves would send Tyus Jones in the opposite direction.
This potential trade would definitely be an intriguing idea for both the Cavaliers and Timberwolves for sure, but why do we say so? The Cleveland Cavaliers has long been known to want to tweak some parts of their team in order to be able to present a strong challenge in the coming season. Word on the street has it that the Cleveland Cavaliers would be open to the idea of trading Iman Shumpert, according to the Bleacher Report, who has been serving them as a perimeter lockdown defender for the past season and a half.
Just letting Iman Shumpert move on would not be beneficial to the Cavaliers, not unless there is another NBA team out there who would have a pretty useful utility player to give up, or perhaps a second round draft pick. One thing is for sure though -- the Cleveland Cavaliers’ books would be easier to balance if Shumpert is traded, going to show just how much earning power that man has.
After all, it is said that Iman Shumpert is tipped to earn more than $9.6 million this season -- and that is from his salary alone, and we are not even taking into consideration his sponsorship deals as well as endorsements. Since the Cleveland Cavaliers have currently gone way past the salary cap, they will have to pay the NBA’s luxury tax yet again -- for the obvious reason, they have the financial means to dish out high salaries for their superstar players.
One of the teams which have been said to inquire on the availability of Iman Shumpert is said to be the Minnesota Timberwolves. The big question now is, would the Cleveland Cavaliers be open to such a deal? An ESPN report did point out how the Cavaliers forked out a whopping $54 million in tax penalties, which is more than what some NBA teams operate on. The Twin Cities Pioneer Press claims that the Cleveland Cavaliers have already been contacted by the Minnesota Timberwolves concerning Iman Shumpert’s availability not too long ago, and Shumpert’s statute would be in line with Minnesota Timberwolves’ head coach, Tom Thibodeau’s philosophy: a defensive-minded shooting guard who has NBA playoff experience, hoping that such experience will be able to rub off on the younger players. Let us wait and see what will happen since there is still some time left to go.
