First, the Cavaliers landed Donovan Mitchell from the Jazz. Could Jazz shooting guard Malik Beasley be next?
Well, perhaps, according to Marc Stein of The Stein Line.
Apparently, the Cavs are weighing a three-way trade that would send Hawks forward John Collins to the Jazz, and Beasley to the Cavs, as Stein relayed. For the Cavs, Stein added, Caris LeVert and his expiring $18.8 million contract would be the “most obvious trade chip.”
Without a doubt, the Cavs have been seeking help in the area of perimeter shooting from the wing. Already, they have been linked to Mavericks guard/forward Tim Hardaway Jr., Spurs small forward Doug McDermott and Pistons small forward Bojan Bogdanovic, among others.
The Jazz are also believed to be in heavy pursuit of Collins, who is clearly quite available, as we relayed here. Beasley reportedly has been involved in those talks, but sources told Hoops Wire that Atlanta isn’t necessarily interested in Beasley.
The Hawks would be considerably more interested in LeVert, sources added.
Another thing we know is Cavs president of basketball operations Koby Altman is never shy about making a move — his offseason acquisition of Mitchell being just the latest example. As one opposing assistant GM told Hoops Wire over the summer about Altman, “He’s fearless (when it comes to making trades).” And the GM meant it as an extreme compliment.
Beasley, 26, is 6-foot-4, and many across the league do expect him to be traded — somewhere — ahead of the Feb. 9 trade deadline. He is in his first season with the Jazz after coming over in the Rudy Gobert trade with the Timberwolves, and averaging 13.8 points and 3.5 rebounds in 46 games (through Sunday).
Along with that, Beasley is shooting 40 percent from the field and 36 percent on 3-pointers, or about the same percentage as LeVert. The difference is, Beasley attempts twice as many threes a game (8.6 to be exact), which likely would explain the Cavs’ interest.
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