Last season, the acquisition of Timofey Mozgov felt like the turning point for the Cleveland Cavaliers; it was when they became true contenders. With Kevin Love in the frontcourt, they needed a rim protecting big to hide him on defense. Mozgov was great for the Cavs last year, averaging 10.6 points and 6.9 rebounds in 25 minutes per game.
Mozgov’s role has begun to drastically decrease though. He’s playing under 18 minutes per game this season, and that number has shrunk recently, as he has lost his starting spot to Tristan Thompson. Cleveland isn’t necessarily looking to trade Mozgov, but his role has been reduced, and other teams are interested. Via Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports:
As center Timofey Mozgov recently has gone from a prominent starting role to a reserve with the Cleveland Cavaliers, several NBA teams are starting to inquire about his availability via trade, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
The Cavs may not be looking to trade Mozgov, but they would almost certainly be willing too if they got the right offer. He’s playing just over 11 minutes a game in the month of January. Hard to call a guy getting 11 minutes untouchable.
Exactly one year ago today, the Denver Nuggets agreed to trade Mozgov to the Cavs in exchange for two protected First-round picks.
