Reigning Eastern Conference champions Cleveland Cavaliers are reportedly shopping their backup center Timofey Mozgov this NBA trade season and the New Orleans Pelicans are rumored to be interested in dealing for the 7-foot-1 Russian behemoth.

The Cavs may have the best record in the East with a 35-12 win-loss slate and a five-game winning streak at the moment, but they are still not in the level of the West's top three teams of the Golden State Warriors, San Antonio Spurs, and Oklahoma City Thunder.

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Cleveland knows that in order to win that elusive NBA title, they ultimately have to go over either the Warriors, Spurs, or Thunder hump, and the 29-year-old Mozgov seems to be the "odd man out" in the current Cavs lineup for them to try and obtain one more suitable role player that will help them through the postseason, as per Hoops Habit.

One of the many reasons why Mozgov could be traded, the report says, is the fact that his numbers are noticeably down from last year's. From averages of 10.6 points and 6.9 rebounds in 2014-2015, it went down to 6.4 points and 4.2 rebounds in 44 games so far this season, a huge decrease in production.

With the loaded Cavs frontcourt that includes Kevin Love, Tristan Thompson, Anderson Varejao, and James Jones all active and healthy, Mozgov found his playing time decrease from 25.0 mpg last season to only 17.5 mpg this time around.

Cleveland is said to be trying to be "quicker and more athletic up front", which is another reason why Mozgov is the most likely to leave any time before the trade deadline.

Fansided reported that the Cavs are currently in talks with the Pelicans for a possible trade involving Mozgov, but the discussions are going nowhere as Cleveland has "no interest in center Omer Asik", the trade piece New Orleans is offering.

There are speculations that the Cavs may be more interested in having the Pelicans' 7-foot-2 French center Alexis Ajinça, who may be "a slight regression on the offensive end" but is younger than Mozgov and could contribute on defense with his long wing span.

TagsNBA Trade Rumors, Cavaliers Trade Rumors, cleveland cavaliers, New Orleans Pelicans, Timofey Mozgov