Trade talk reveals sad state of Bobcats, Cavs

Gerald Wallace is having a down year, but he's still the Bobcats' second-leading scorer and top rebounder. (Brock Williams-Smith/NBAE via Getty Images)

Some NBA trade talk is exciting, and some is depressing, particularly deals that would have little to do with actual basketball talent. In a potential trade that would lean strongly toward the latter category, the Bobcats have reportedly talked about shipping Gerald Wallace — an All-Star last season — to the Cavaliers for … well, perhaps nothing more than payroll relief, according to Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski. Wallace would fit into the trade exception Cleveland “gained” in the LeBron James sign-and-trade, so the Cavs would not have send out matching salary to acquire him.

The Bobcats are in an interesting spot. They’ve won four straight under new coach Paul Silas and sit alone in the Eastern Conference’s last playoff spot, one game ahead of the Bucks in the loss column and two ahead of the Sixers. The franchise got its first taste of playoff action last season, and Michael Jordan could surely use the extra few million in revenue a couple of home playoff losses to the Heat or Celtics or Magic would bring.

On the other hand, this team as constituted is going nowhere beyond a first-round loss and badly needs to be torn down in earnest. And the long-term savings in dealing Wallace trumps the revenue a playoff series promises. Wallace is scheduled to make $10.5 million next season and has a player option for the same amount in 2012-13. That’s a fair salary for the Wallace who put up All-Star-level numbers last season and in 2008-09, but not for a banged-up 28-year-old shooting 42 percent and posting a Player Efficiency Rating a bit below the league average this season.

But is Charlotte ready to give up Wallace for nothing in return, talent-wise?

If the Bobcats really have turned to Cleveland at this point, it’s probably a sign that they can’t get anything good for Wallace: The Cavs, who should be in a full rebuilding mode, have absolutely no reason to give up anything of value to take on an expensive player entering the latter years of his prime. And that’s the most interesting tidbit of Wojnarowski’s report: The Cavs might be able to wring a lottery-protected first-rounder from the Bobcats for acquiring Wallace and the $21 million he has coming in future salary.

Of course, the Bobcats would actually have to make the playoffs at some point for a lottery-protected first-rounder to go to Cleveland in this theoretical deal. (If the life of a protected first-round pick expires without transferring to the receiving team, it typically reverts to a second-rounder.) Is $21 million too high a price to pay for a first-round pick you may never see? What a depressing question.

Remember, the Cavs already own two of Miami’s future first-rounders, though neither is likely to be even close to the lottery. The Cavs badly need young assets and draft picks, and using their trade exception — which already counts against their cap amount, anyway — is one way to get them. And if Wallace stays healthy and productive next season — if there is a next season — he’ll be a solid 29-year-old player a year closer to becoming an expiring contract. In other words, a decent trade asset.

All in all, what these trade talks reveal more than anything is the sad state of these two franchises.