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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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New Orleans Pelicans

Why the Cavs do it:

This is a dream come true for the Cavs. Alexis Ajinca would bring an immediate impact on the boards and in the shot blocking department. He’d be a slight regression on the offensive end, but the Cavs don’t need help offensively in this deal.

Ajinca has played in 35 games with the New Orleans Pelicans this season and mainly in a reserve role. He has an 18.2 rebounding percentage, which comes mainly on the defensive end (26.5 percent). He also has a 3.4 blocks percentage and with his 7-foot-2 frame would cause problems for anybody in the lane.

Perhaps the best part of acquiring a defensive center would be the offensive forward in Ryan Anderson. Anderson could provide an offensive threat to the second unit, who ranks 26th in points per game according to Hoopstats.com.

Anderson has a 24.0 usage rate and a remarkable 8.9 turnover rate. He’s scoring 17.9 points per game in 31.5 minutes per game. His minutes would likely decrease, but he would likely become the go-to-guy on the offensive end with the Cavs’ reserves.

Why the Pelicans do it:

It may be hard to see why the Pelicans would do this trade, but it provides more long-term benefits than short-term. They have struggled this year with an 18-28 record. While they are only three-and-a-half games out from the Western Conference’s eight seed, they may be best suited to miss the playoffs as a first-round matchup with the Golden State Warriors would likely bounce them from the dance.

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Pelicans getting the fans involved with their upcoming festival
Pelicans getting the fans involved with their upcoming festival /

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    • To say this deal would hurt the Pelicans in the short-term and long-term would be irresponsible, however. Eric Gordon is on an expiring contract, and Tyreke Evans has one year left on his deal following the 2015-16 season. With the Pels already considering trading Anderson, they may be cashing in and host a fire sale.

    Shumpert would bring a sense of longevity on the wing and could help the Pelicans immediately on the defensive end. He has two years on his contract following the 2015-16 season and could help them lure an offensive specialist on the wing. In fact, Shumpert’s 103 defensive rating and 98 offensive rating are both better than Evans’ 108 defensive rating and 105 offensive rating.

    Mozgov fits in as a backup center nicely. He can provide a better offensive option than Ajinca, and the Pelicans will suffer little drop-off in the rebounding and shot-blocking departments. Since he’s on an expiring deal, they also maintain some financial flexibility for the offseason.

    Bottom Line:

    This deal could help the Pelicans in the long run. If they fall in the standings, it guarantees a top lottery pick in what’s expected to be a strong draft class. It also provides them a defensive option for the long run and allows them to maintain some financial flexibility this summer.

    On the Cavs end, this may be a dream scenario. Perhaps it’s even too good to be true as they’d be ready to challenge whoever comes out of the Western Conference in a projected NBA Finals matchup.

    According to Hollinger’s trade machine, the Cavs would improve their current pace by three wins and the Pelicans would fall off by five wins.

    Next: Phoenix Suns

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