The Cleveland Cavaliers already have the No. 1 and No. 4 picks in the 2011 NBA Draft, but owner Dan Gilbert is aiming even higher. According to a report on Saturday night, the Cavs are attempting to secure the No. 2 pick and plan to draft both Kyrie Irving and Derrick Williams if a deal comes to pass. Gilbert loves both players and could immediately have a potent one-two punch on the inside and out, but it would come at a heavy price.
ESPN reported the Cavs maneuvering on Saturday, including how the team may make a deal happen. The Detroit Pistons would be the third team involved, and Rip Hamilton is at the center of the discussions.
In the trade being discussed, Cleveland would absorb Detroit's Richard Hamilton into the $14.6 million trade exception it received in last summer's LeBron James sign-and-trade with Miami, while also receiving the Pistons' No. 8 pick. The Cavaliers would then send that pick, along with their fourth pick, to Minnesota for the Timberwolves' second pick.
Don't bank on seeing Hamilton in a Cavaliers uniform, however. Instead, Cleveland would then cut Hamilton lose while taking on his $25 million salary. In addition to the contract, ESPN is also reporting Detroit wants players in return, making any deal a complicated one, especially considering Hamilton is the centerpiece and is, essentially, a sunk cost.
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