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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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Sacramento Kings

Why the Cavs do it:

Imagine the headline, “Koufos Returns to the Buckeye State.” Kosta Koufos would not only provide an upgrade in the front court for the Cavs, but it would also bring his career full circle from his beginnings in high school at Glen Oak in Canton to his college years at Ohio State.

Koufos’ game is similar to that of Tristan Thompson. He crashes the boards on both ends and can block shots. But he can also be a factor on the offensive end, in part due to his offensive rebounding, but also in a low post or pick-and-roll game.

This season Koufos has a 12.6 offensive rebounding percentage and a total rebounding percentage of 15.6 percent. He also has a 3.9 blocks percentage. On the offensive end, Koufos has a 54.0 true shooting percentage.

Koufos, 26, will have three years remaining on his contract following the 2015-16 season. With the Cavs shipping two expiring contracts out, they lose some financial flexibility for the future. But it may be worth it for Koufos, who could put the Cavs over the top.

Why the Kings do it:

The Sacramento Kings are in a position to set themselves up nicely with plenty of cap space if they can play their cards right. This deal would push them one step into the right direction, by acquiring two expiring contracts.

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    • Gaining Mozgov and 30-year-old rookie Sasha Kaun gives the Kings more front court depth. Kaun may be able to take the place of Koufos as the backup power forward, unless the Kings elect to go in a different direction. That allows Mozgov to either come off the bench behind rookie Willie Cauley-Stein or to start in place of him. Either way, the Kings are going to have a good defensive tandem on the second unit.

    The financial flexibility will net the Kings an extra $5.9 million in cap space that they wouldn’t have otherwise. That would allow the Kings to find a better option at shooting guard or to address the front court and find a better fit at power forward, since they have had DeMarcus Cousins and Kosta Koufos playing out of position.

    Bottom Line:

    The Cavs would reap the long-term benefits on the court in acquiring Koufos, and they’d be in a better place with a bigger version of Thompson to start at center. The Kings may not be better off as far as on-court production goes, but they will benefit with front office moves in the offseason.

    According to Hollinger’s trade machine, the Cavs will fall off their current season pace by two wins and the Kings would fall off theirs by one win. Though it may not make a big difference in the Cavs’ season, the Kings need every win they can get battling for the eight seed in the West.

    Next: NBA Trade Rumors: 6 DeMarcus Cousins Trades

    Of these deals, the Pelicans would have to be the top priority for the Cavs if these proposed trades were presented to them. The Mavericks’ and Hawks’ deals would have to battle for a close second and third while the Kings would probably be fourth. The wild card with the Suns trade would be gambling on Morris to improve on offense.

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