Report: Dan Gilbert reluctant to move Nets pick at trade deadline

The Cleveland Cavaliers are in free fall and several unnamed players are reportedly pessimistic about this current team's title chances.

Cleveland's main asset is the 2018 Brooklyn Nets first-round pick it received in the Kyrie Irving trade. However, Cavaliers team owner Dan Gilbert and general manager Koby Altman are "reluctant" to surrender that pick, team sources told Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com.

Earlier reports suggest the Cavs were in talks to acquire DeAndre Jordan from the Los Angeles Clippers, but not in exchange for the Nets pick.

With LeBron James not yet ready to commit to re-signing this summer, the team is in limbo. Cleveland already has the oldest roster in the league and its cap sheet is stuffed with bloated contracts, not to mention it's almost entirely devoid of young prospects.

On the other hand, if the Cavaliers continue to slide in the standings, James might leave anyway. Nabbing another star to make one last push at the title could be the best way to go.

James could probably ask for more help, as he did in previous seasons, but that might not be so easy. Vardon notes that lines of communication between players and the front office haven't been as open as they were under former general manager David Griffin.