Report: Corey Brewer more likely to land in Houston than Cleveland
Both the Cleveland Cavaliers and Houston Rockets were rumored early this week to be interested in Minnesota Timberwolves swingman Corey Brewer, who is reportedly being shopped by his club.
The Cavs and Rockets are equipped with two of the best starting lineups in basketball, but each is painfully thin beyond its top five and sorely need added wing depth. According to ESPN's Marc Stein, it's the Rockets who have their nose ahead right now in the race to nab Brewer.
Things are fluid, as always in trade talks, but latest word is Houston more likely than Cleveland as landing spot via trade for Corey Brewer
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) November 20, 2014
Rockets have made it clear they're ready to move NOW. Cavs said to be weighing whether to prioritize pursuing rim protector or wing depth
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) November 20, 2014
Both teams, as Stein previously noted, carry trade exceptions large enough to swallow Brewer's contract - $4.7 million this season with a $4.9-million player option for 2015-16.
At first glance, the Cavaliers appear more desperate for Brewer's services than the Rockets. while rim protection is a larger concern, the Cavs haven't gotten the production they'd hoped for out of Shawn Marion, and Dion Waiters continues to be a defensive liability.
Brewer's calling card is his perimeter defense, and his length and athleticism would be a huge boon to a Cavaliers defense giving up the sixth-most 3-point attempts per game, while posting the league's 26th-ranked overall defense.
The Rockets, on the other hand, have the league's top-ranked defense, and Brewer would help further solidify a unit holding opponents to a 28.8-percent 3-point clip (second in the NBA) and forcing turnovers at the league's seventh-highest rate.