Cavaliers are still pursuing a Kemba Walker trade

Despite using the No. 8 overall pick on Collin Sexton, the Cleveland Cavaliers still are looking to improve at the point guard position. While the Cavs are intent on keeping Sexton, it appears they would prefer to have him develop under a more established player.

According to Ken Berger of Bleacher Report, the Cavs are still pursuing Kemba Walker via trade:

The Cavs continue to explore the possibility of working a deal with the Charlotte Hornets for two-time All-Star Kemba Walker, two league sources told B/R on Thursday night. Their best chance at such a deal would seem to have involved the eighth pick in the draft, which didn’t happen. One person close to Walker said Thursday night that he still believes such a deal is “possible.”

The report also emphasized the belief that such a move is essential if the Cavs want to have any hope of keeping LeBron James:

Another league source pushed the notion of a trade for Walker one step further when it comes to the Cavs’ chances of keeping LeBron: Acquiring Walker, the person said, “is the only way LeBron stays.”

With Sexton off the table and Kevin Love unlikely to be moved for Walker, the Cavs don’t really have much to work with. Any deal between these two teams would likely require future picks, as well as Cleveland taking on more bad salary.

The most obvious candidate for a bad salary throw into the deal would be Nicolas Batum, who still has three years left on a five-year deal worth $120 million. The non-guaranteed contracts of George Hill and Kyle Korver may be attractive to Charlotte, as they appear to be heading towards a rebuild.

The likelihood of this deal coming to fruition is hard to say, as Charlotte can be unpredictable at times. But should the Cavs take on more salary to improve the team, it could be a signal to LeBron that Dan Gilbert is still willing to spend to make this work.