Cavaliers Try to Get on Golden State's 3-Point Level with Trade for Kyle Korver

Kyle Korver, one of the most prolific NBA 3-point shooters in the last decade, is headed to Cleveland, the Vertical is reporting. With JR Smith out for 3-4 months with an injury, the Cavs needed to fortify their 3-point shooting, and Korver isn’t a bad option.

Korver led the NBA in 3-point shooting percentage in three of the last eight years, but he’s slowing down a bit at the age of 35. He could be the next Channing Frye for the Cavs, a guy who pops into a playoff series and just starts flame-throwing from the perimeter. Korver would be a liability defensively, but his value is in daring teams to double-team LeBron, or sag off their guy to help against Kyrie’s penetration.

The Cavs are actually making more 3-pointers a game than the Warriors this season (12.9 per game to 11.8; they rank 2nd and 3rd behind Houston’s 15 per game), but Smith was 2nd on the team in 3’s per game, and it’s unclear how he’ll return from his thumb injury for the playoffs. The addition of Korver certainly takes the pressure off forcing a quick return.

For the Hawks, Korver became expendable with the emergence of Tim Hardaway Jr, who has made five or more 3-pointers three times this season, and perhaps with added minutes, that can improve.

The Hawks are currently 5th in the East, as everyone’s pushing hard for the 2nd and 3rd seeds because it means you won’t have to lose to the Cavs until the conference finals.