The Cleveland Cavaliers are going strong this 2015-16 National Basketball Association (NBA) regular season, but one player in the roster might leave soon as center Timofey Mozgov is reportedly getting interest from other teams.
Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports reported that teams are inquiring about Mozgov and the possibility of acquiring him via a trade deal.
According to Spears, Mozgov losing his starting job early this season, the franchise's NBA-high payroll, and the upcoming free agency may urge the Cavaliers to deal him away before the February 18 trade deadline.
Mozgov immediately became Cleveland's starting center when he joined the team via trade last season from the Denver Nuggets. But this season, Mozgov lost the starting job to fellow big man Tristan Thompson as the year was about to close.
Since then, the 29-year-old's production dropped averaging 6.3 points and 4.1 rebounds in 17.8 minutes of action per game. The biggest decrease in Mozgov's stats is his playing minutes which last season was 25 minutes per outing.
Spears said the Cavs have no plans of trading Mozgov and are looking to re-sign him when he becomes a free agent in 2016.
But he added that Mozgov returning to Cleveland might be "less attractive" for the center if he continues to play a reduced role. Along with the lesser playing opportunity, Mozgov may also leave since much bigger deals might be offered to him.
The Cavaliers started their championship chase well and it got better when All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving returned after almost a year of absence due to a fractured knee cap.
Cleveland's roster is already set and it seems like despite the rumors, no one will be traded especially with the way the team is playing as of late.
The Cavaliers are leading the Eastern Conference with a 24-9 record and are currently riding a five-game winning streak.
