NBA trade rumors claiming that the Minnesota Timberwolves is interested in trading for Iman Shumpert and the Cleveland Cavaliers is "ready to talk" about the potential deal have recently emerged.

The Cavs has begun its title-defense this season with a convincing 117-88 win over the Carmelo Anthony and Derrick Rose-led New York Knicks. However, there are speculations that team officials are still not 100 percent satisfied of the club's roster makeup as they do not deem it strong enough to beat the Golden State Warriors' super-team in the Finals.

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Thus, reports are out that Cleveland is still looking for possible trades that could further strengthen their lineup and one of the rumored trade pieces is backup shooting guard Shumpert.

Cavs head coach Tyronn Lue has utilized Shumpert as the team's starter at the two-guard spot during the preseason and the former Georgia Tech standout did not disappoint. However, with the return of JR Smith from free-agency, Shumpert is back on the bench as Smith's primary backup.

With the emergence of wingmen Jordan McRae and DeAndre Liggins, Shumpert's role in the squad is becoming less secure, although he is still the team's number one perimeter defender apart from LeBron James.

Bleacher Report indicated that Wolves head coach Tom Thibodeau is looking to add wing defenders to their side and Shumpert is one of his targets.

Thibodeau is known to bring out the best in his wing players just like what he did with Jimmy Butler in Chicago. The coach is reportedly looking for one who has a "defense-first" mentality so that Andrew Wiggins will no longer have to defend their opponent's best perimeter player.

ESPN reported that the Wolves has "inquired about his (Shumpert's) availability in the past weeks and gotten the impression that Cleveland is ready to talk".

The Cavs. meanwhile, is reportedly eyeing a salary-dump deal given their current massive payroll, but they want to get some value out of it and not simply release players.

At this moment, sophomore point guard Tyus Jones is said to be Minnesota's number one trade piece and could be the centerpiece of a trade to bring in Shumpert.

Keep posted for more NBA trade rumors.

TagsNBA Trade Rumors, NBA Trade Rumors 2016, Iman Shumpert, cleveland cavaliers, Minnesota Timberwolves