Omri Casspi Requests Trade?

6:22pm: Casspi once more declined to address whether he's asked for a trade, but said tonight that he's happy in Cleveland, the Plain Dealer reports via Twitter. Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal provides more details on Sulia, noting that Casspi said he hasn't asked coach Byron Scott why he's seen limited playing time.

12:26pm: A league source tells Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal (Twitter link) that Casspi hasn't requested a trade. Casspi himself, however, declined comment.

12:15pm: Having appeared briefly in only one game for the Cavaliers since December 11th, Omri Casspi has requested a trade, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Wojnarowski reports that Cavs GM Chris Grant has been making calls in an attempt to find a deal, but hasn't had any success so far.

Since averaging 10.3 PPG in his rookie season in Sacramento, Casspi has seen his PPG and MPG decline each year, and has fallen out of Cleveland's rotation entirely in recent weeks. The 24-year-old is in the last year of his rookie contract, making about $2.28MM this season, and will be eligible for restricted free agency next summer. If the Cavs were to make a move, the incoming salary wouldn't necessarily have to match up with Casspi's relatively small cap figure, since Cleveland is well under the cap and could absorb larger salaries.

Casspi has already been involved in one trade early in his NBA career. After the 2010/11 season, the Israeli forward was traded to the Cavs by the Kings along with a protected first-round pick, in exchange for J.J. Hickson.

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