The Cleveland Cavaliers might be getting closer to getting their wish of trading Dion Waiters away from the team, as the Chicago Bulls and Philadelphia 76ers emerge as the top contenders for the second-year shooting guard.
One of the problems with Waiters seems to be his ego, and the desire to be the number one option for a team. In Cleveland, it’s obvious that Kyrie Irving is above the rest, while Andre Bynum and Tristan Thompson play a very big part as well. Waiters has had some good games coming off the bench, but he feels he should be a bigger part of the offense.
According to Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report, both the Bulls and Sixers are willing to take on Waiters, having the right kind of pieces to send over, but Waiters himself prefers Philly as his escape route, because he has a much better chance of becoming the number one player on that team.
With that kind of attitude, it’s hard to see why teams would be fighting over him, but it’s all rumors anyway, so it doesn’t really matter. The Bulls are in desperate need of some scoring and for someone to stretch the floor for them. Assuming Luol Deng and Jimmy Butler are healthy, getting Waiters means someone is sent to the bench, unless Waiters himself is once again turned into a sixth man.
If he goes the Philly direction, there’s a good chance Evan Turner becomes the player that goes the other way. Turner is having a very good season (19.3 points per game), but becoming a free agent this offseason. The 76ers don’t want to pay him big money, or whatever it is he thinks he’s worth. Is putting Waiters next to Michael Carter-Williams in the backcourt a good idea for the 76ers? Hard to tell, but right now, these two options seem like the closest to becoming reality.
The Cavs and Bulls will become a big more desperate to make something happen if they keep on losing and getting further away from the playoffs. The Sixers have all the time in the world to get a good deal for Turner.