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NBA Trade Rumors: 5 Trades for Timofey Mozgov

By Aaron Ferguson

Jan 12, 2016; Dallas, TX, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Timofey Mozgov (20) warms up before the game against the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 12, 2016; Dallas, TX, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Timofey Mozgov (20) warms up before the game against the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dallas Mavericks

Why the Cavs do it:

JaVale McGee would be a great addition to the Cavs lineup. With the Dallas Mavericks this season, McGee has a 20.2 rebounding percentage and a 6.4 blocking percentage. Both of those are improvements over Mozgov, despite McGee having a Defensive Box Plus/Minus (DBPM) of -0.4.

Raymond Felton is the kicker in the deal. He would be an improvement at the point guard position and would allow Lue to play him alongside Matthew Delevadova with the second unit. He has used two point guards in the same lineup before, and this would improve upon those lineups.

This season, Felton has a usage rate of 18.0 and an assist percentage of 20.0 percent. His 14.3 turnover percentage is slightly better than Mo Williams, who has a 15.8 turnover rate.

Both Felton and McGee are on expiring contracts, according to HoopsHype.com, so the Cavaliers won’t have to worry about long-term financial issues.

Why the Mavericks do it:

Mozgov provides a size advantage at the center position. With the uncertainty of Zaza Pachulia‘s healthy and the rise of backup Salah Mejri, the Mavericks could use a third center in their rotation.

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    • Losing Felton hurts the Mavericks, but it could be addition by subtraction. His minutes would likely lead to an increase in minutes for J.J. Barea. Barea has a 13.8 PER, which is better than Felton’s 12.1 PER.

    Barea’s 23.1 usage rate has helped the Mavericks. He’s been a great ball distributor with an assist rate of 30.7 and a turnover rate of 14.7.

    It’s not secret that owner Mark Cuban likes to have financial flexibility. The Mavericks would have nothing to fear since Mozgov is on an expiring contract, and they could make a run at the top free agents this summer.

    Bottom line:

    This trade is beneficial for both teams. The Mavericks could allow more playing time for their young center in Salah Mejri and add depth to the position with the starter Pachulia and the addition of Mozgov. For the Cavs, they get a better guard in Felton to pair with another point guard in a reserve role. McGee appears to be a substantial upgrade, in part because the Mavericks are 13th defensively compared to Cleveland’s third.

    According to Hollinger’s trade machine, the Cavs would fall off their current pace by two wins and the Mavericks would fall off by one win.

    Next: New Orleans Pelicans

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