The Cleveland Cavaliers aren’t tearing through the NBA schedule as they did last year, much to the chagrin of fans.
For that reason, it’s to be expected that chatter will ramp up ahead of the NBA’s Feb. 5 trade deadline. One player who the team might be willing to move could surprise some, considering he was acquired just before the season.
Advertisement
At least that’s the way ESPN’s Bobby Marks and Kevin Pelton see it regarding Lonzo Ball, who the team traded for this summer in the hopes he could rebound after a knee injury. The latter hasn’t come into play this season.
Ball has had an uneven tenure with the team thus far, even getting benched at one point.
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Lonzo Ball (2) blocks a shot by Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) on Jan. 2, 2026, in Cleveland.
“Ball averaged at least 22 minutes in the first three months of the season, but he has seen his minutes per game drop to 13.0 in January,” Marks writes. “Ball is shooting a career-worst 31.2% from the field and 27.6% on 3s.”
Some might suggest the Cavs should not give up on Ball yet, that he could still benefit a team that has been almost as inconsistent as he’s been. ESPN’s writers weighed the potential financial benefits of parting ways with the guard.
Advertisement
“If the Cavaliers move off his $10 million salary this season, their luxury tax penalty would drop from $164 million to $102 million,” Marks wrote. “Because there is no financial liability next season (Ball has a $10 million team option for 2026-27), Cleveland also could wait until the offseason to make a decision.”
The trade deadline, as is normally the case, could prove interesting.
George M. Thomas covers a myriad of things including sports and pop culture, but mostly sports, he thinks, for the Beacon Journal.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: ESPN writers believe this Cleveland Cavs guard could be on trade block