Cavs net first-round pick in deal

The Cavaliers traded guard Alec Burks to the Sacramento Kings and guard Adam Baldwin plus guard Nik Stauskas to the Houston Rockets on Feb. 6 in exchange for guard Brandon Knight, Marquese Chriss and a 2019 protected first-round pick from the Rockets, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Sending Burks to the Kings was a trigger in the three-team trade because it opened the opportunity for and Houston as well as Detroit. He missed all of last season with a knee injury and has played in only 12 games with the Rockets this season. Knight hasn’t played since Jan. 11. The Cavaliers are stuck with a pro-rated portion of his $14,631,250 contract this season and his $15,643,750 contract next season. Chriss has played in 16 games this season. He is averaging 1.8 points and 6.5 minutes a game. Chriss has a chance to increase his playing time on the Cavaliers depleted roster. the Kings to trade guard Iman Shumpert, a former Cavalier, to the Rockets. The 2019 first-round pick from Houston is lottery protected. The Rockets are fifth in the NBA West at 31-22. Stauskas and Baldwin plus two second-round draft picks were acquired from Portland on Feb. 3 for guard Rodney Hood. The Cavaliers, 11-43, have been busy this season trading for the future. They traded George Hill to Milwaukee for Matthew Dellavedova, John Henson plus a first-round and second-round pick in 2021. They traded Kyle Korver to the Utah Jazz for Burks, a second-round pick in 2020 and a second-round pick in 2021. The Feb. 3 trade was a prelude to the three-team trade the Cavaliers made Feb. 6. The NBA trade deadline is 3 p.m. Feb. 7. All told, the Cavaliers stockpiled two first-round picks and six second-round picks in the four trades. The Korver-to-Utah trade netted a first-round pick and two second-round picks. Knight, a 2011 first-round pick (eighth overall) by the Pistons in 2011, has played with Milwaukee, Phoenix