It seems that after all that has been said about the Cleveland Cavaliers this summer - there's more to come. The defending Eastern Conference champions have made major roster changes this offseason and apparently, they are not done yet. The Cavs added the former league MVP Derrick Rose to their roster earlier this summer, they signed veteran point guard Jose Calderon and also acquired Jeff Green via free agency. This gives Cleveland more depth at every position on the court, and with the pieces they acquired in the Kyrie Irving trade it seems like they have completed their roster for the next season.
But even with all this being said, the Cavaliers are still looking for possible ways to improve their roster in order to narrow the gap between themselves and the Golden State Warriors.
Can Cleveland sign Anthony or Wade?
Throughout the entire offseason so far, Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade have been linked to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Both of them were mentioned several times as the potential trade targets for Cleveland, and the rumors haven't stopped obviously. Even though Anthony is still a member of the New York Knicks and Wade is under the contract with the Chicago Bulls, it will not be a surprise if one of them ends up in Cleveland. Sam Amico of the AmicoHoops.net wrote this in his recent report: “Along with trading Irving, and potentially dealing Shumpert, the Cavs continue to keep an eye on the Carmelo Anthony situation in New York, and more so, the possible Dwyane Wade contract buyout in Chicago.”
Getting Anthony or Wade would dramatically improve Cleveland's chances of winning the NBA championship next season, as it became apparent in last season's NBA Finals that they need more firepower.
Also, LeBron James' close personal relationship with both of these players could prove to be the decisive factor in the potential deal. James, Wade, and Anthony are all close friends and they stated many times they would to play together on the same team at some point of their careers.
Will it happen?
While this sounds like the perfect solution for every side included in the deal, it might be a tough one to execute.
Wade has one year left on his contract with the Bulls, but there have been some reports lately about his potential buyout agreement with Chicago. If Wade reaches a buyout with the Bulls and becomes a free-agent, there's no doubt that joining the Cavaliers would be his primary option. The 35-year-old Wade averaged 18.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game last season with the Bulls.
Carmelo Anthony, on the other hand, has two years left on his contract with the New York Knicks but has the right to opt out of the final year of the deal. Getting Anthony could be tricky for the Cavaliers, especially considering the fact that he has a no-trade clause in his contract. This means that Carmelo would have to approve any potential deal the Knicks make and he already stated that his primary option would be joining the Houston Rockets, not the Cleveland Cavaliers. The 6-foot-8 Anthony played 74 games for the Knicks last season and averaged 22.4 points and 5.9 rebounds per game.
