NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 19: Chandler Parsons #25 of the Memphis Grizzlies looks down the court in the first quarter against the Brooklyn Nets during their game at Barclays Center on March 19, 2018 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) With the NBA Draft on the front burner, the Cleveland Cavaliers are rumored to be looking at adding the Memphis Grizzlies’ fourth pick. Confronted with the biggest offseason in franchise history, Cleveland Cavaliers GM Koby Altman is working hard leading up to the NBA Draft. The Cavs’ top basketball man, who hasn’t even been on the job for a year, is talking with the Memphis Grizzlies about a trade for the No. 4 overall pick. A deal would come with baggage though, with the Cavaliers taking on the two years and $49 million left on Chandler Parsons‘ contract, according to Sam Amico of Amico Hoops. Amico wrote Mike Conley, who is due to earn a total of $95 million over the next three season, could also be involved in the alls as the Grizzlies look to shed salary. 1. The Grizzlies would have to take on some Cavaliers to make the money match, so automatically, Kevin Love, J.R. Smith, Tristan Thompson and George Hill become trade candidates. Memphis is obviously going to rebuild, I’m not sure how ridding themselves of the fourth pick in an attempt to shed salary, helps them do that. 2. Smith’s contract is valuable here. While he’s due to earn $14 million next season, only $3.8 million of his salary is guaranteed the year after. Parsons will earn $25 million next season. The Cavs would have to trade someone else to make the money match. 3. Smith’s contract is the only “easy way out,” meaning Love, Thompson and Hill are under contract for at least two more seasons, 4. Yes, the Cavs have re-visted trade talks for Kemba Walker. Would they trade the eighth pick, assuming they get pick No. 4, for the Hornets point guard? 5. Altman is working without any idea as to what LeBron James will do in free agency. No surprise here. The free agency game trumps the game going on inside the lines, and like actual games, James excels at winning the off-the-court battle as well. 6. Anyone excited about Kemba Walker on a team without LeBron James? Initially, my response would be “No thanks.” Walker hasn’t exactly elevated the status of Michael Jordan‘s Charlotte Hornets. However, it sounds like the Cavs won’t press the “blow it up” button if James leaves. They won’t be Finals contenders either, but if they can somehow come away with the fourth and eighth picks to play alongside veterans such as Hill, Thompson and Larry Nance, they’ll develop their young stars just in time for their current heavy contracts to expire. And then, who knows? Perhaps James says, “I’m staying.” 7. A lot of “ifs” but none of that matters because the most important part of the Cavs’ future doesn’t rest with James’ next decision. It starts with the NBA Draft and we’ll have a better idea of Cleveland’s future after this week.<doc-sep>Keith Srakocic/Associated Press The Cleveland Cavaliers reportedly hosted Trae Young for a private workout Saturday and have narrowed their targets to three. Jonathan Givony of ESPN.com reported the Cavs have identified Young and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as their preferred selections should Michael Porter Jr. be off the board. The former Missouri Tiger has become a Cleveland management favorite as Thursday's draft approaches but is likely to be taken before the No. 8 pick. Young had previously declined an opportunity to work out for the Cavs. Cleveland will enter the draft nearly blind. LeBron James' future will dictate the franchise's outlook, but the four-time MVP has given no clues about where he will play next season. James will be an unrestricted free agent in July if he declines his player option for 2018-19 and is expected to be open to other suitors. If James stays, whoever Cleveland drafts at No. 8 likely won't have a long career with the team. The Cavs' roster is constructed to win now, not to develop a rookie. Young, who garnered Steph Curry comparisons during his lone season at Oklahoma, could generate a number of offers around the league. In the event LeBron leaves, Young is a microwave scorer who could be ready to lead the Cavs' next group. On the other hand, James has spoken about Young on multiple occasions and sent out an Instagram post featuring the two. This could be a situation where the Cavs are considering Young to appease James' camp, who could see the guard as a Kyrie Irving replacement. Video Play Button Videos you might like That seems unlikely, given the 33-year-old James' career timeline and the learning curve of NBA rookies, but it's possible.<doc-sep>With the No. 8 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, the Cleveland Cavaliers will need to have these three “what if” questions answered before Thursday evening. The 2018 NBA Draft is just under a week away. That means that the Cleveland Cavaliers have under 150 hours to figure out what they’ll do if LeBron stays or leaves. On top of that, they must figure out who to draft. All of that while trying to figure out if they have any reasonable ways to prove to James that they’ll do what it takes to keep him in Cleveland. With players like Paul George, Kemba Walker, and Kawhi Leonard potentially on the table, would Cleveland go all in for one of them? After being swept in the 2018 NBA Finals, Cleveland’s only way to continue to contend is by re-signing James. James, numbers-wise, had the best season of his career last season, and while James has to tailor off at some point, it might not be for a few years. That said, should Cleveland go all in for James. What if James asks for the supermax for the next five seasons? What if James is gone? What if the Cavaliers still have the pick? What if Michael Porter Jr. is still on the board at No. 8? With several “what if” questions surrounding the Cavs organization every day, we dissect a few of the most popular. That said, what if James decides to leave.<doc-sep>
Nick Wass/Associated Press The Cleveland Cavaliers are reportedly interested in packaging All-Star Kevin Love and the No. 8 overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft as part of a trade. According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski (h/t Sagar Trika of Blazer's Edge), Cleveland would "love" to send Love and the pick out for a star player on draft night, but he noted that the package likely wouldn't net the return the Cavs are hoping for. Per Wojnarowski, Love's value has diminished, and the Brooklyn Nets' first-round pick acquired from the Boston Celtics in the Kyrie Irving trade wasn't as high as hoped. The 29-year-old Love is coming off a strange season. He was limited to 59 regular-season games due to injury, but he averaged 17.6 points and 9.3 rebounds per contest and was named an All-Star for the fifth time in his career. Love then averaged a double-double during the playoffs with 14.9 points and 10.2 rebounds per game, but he shot just 39.2 percent from the field and 34.0 percent from beyond the arc. Head coach Tyronn Lue insisted on playing Love at center at times, and Love's lack of comfort at that spot seemed to adversely impact his play. Video Play Button Videos you might like Love is a great fit alongside LeBron James in theory since he is a big who can stretch the floor and knock down open shots created by LeBron's drives to the basket. He didn't make his shots with enough consistency last season, though, and the Cavs suffered because of it despite reaching the NBA Finals for a fourth straight year. Maintaining the status quo may not be enough to convince LeBron to re-sign with Cleveland in free agency, which is why trading Love and the No. 8 overall pick has the makings of an attractive option for the Cavs. Cleveland could net a promising, young player with the eighth pick, but the odds of landing an immediate difference-maker are low considering the likes of center Deandre Ayton, guard Luka Doncic and forward Marvin Bagley will almost certainly be off the board before then. The Cavs' No. 1 priority currently should be to entice James to re-sign, and that will almost certainly require a big move that lands them another star player. Love's days in Cleveland may be numbered regardless of what LeBron does, though, since the Cavaliers could be compelled to go into rebuild mode if James leaves. There is no doubt that Love's play has dropped off since his heyday with the Minnesota Timberwolves, and reports of the Cavs wanting to trade him suggest he is now viewed as a supporting role player more than a top-flight star.