The Cleveland Cavaliers have had an open roster spot for several weeks, and forward LeBron James has let it be known that he wants general manager David Griffin to fill the 15th-man vacancy with a backup point guard via trade or free-agent signing.
According to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Cavaliers spoke to the Philadelphia 76ers a few weeks ago and offered Jordan McRae in a package for T.J. McConnell that was declined by the Sixers.
When asked Sunday, 76ers head coach Brett Brown praised McConnell and said he's hoping to hang onto his point guard.
"Of course we want to keep him," Brown said. "He's been as big a part of the reason for our recent success as anybody. You can't deny that."
McConnell, undrafted out of Arizona in 2015, is playing well in his second season in the NBA, averaging 5.6 points, 6.0 assists and 2.8 rebounds per game. There is a good chance the Sixers will field more trade calls for McConnell, as he's producing at a good rate for someone making the veteran minimum of $874,636 this season.
McConnell says the trade rumors don't bother him.
"The best thing for me is to just not pay any attention to it," McConnell said. "If you go looking for it, you are going to find it. And if you don't, it won't find you."
The Cavaliers will likely add a backup point guard to the roster eventually and have been linked with free agents Mario Chalmers and Jarrett Jack. There have been rumors in recent days that Cleveland may also have trade interest in Denver's Jameer Nelson and Utah's Shelvin Mack.
-- Nick Silva
