Cavaliers retooling on the fly
Veterans Thomas, Wade and Rose shipped out of town for youth
When the Cleveland Cavaliers began their NBA trade deadline day with a stunning deal sending Isaiah Thomas to the Los Angeles Lakers, the reaction from around the league wasn’t exactly positive.
“Cleveland helped the Lakers get LeBron (James),” texted one executive.
The Cavaliers entered the day knowing they needed to make at least one deal before the deadline passed. After a month of losing and infighting, blowout losses and damaging stories about the state of the locker-room and the relationship between James and owner Dan Gilbert, no team in the league required of a shakeup more.
Still, few expected this much of a shakeup and for it to begin with a trade with the Lakers, a move that could potentially help lure James and another star to Los Angeles this summer. But after the initial confusion over the Cavs shipping Thomas west for two young players, Cleveland kept dealing — and the picture grew clearer.
Over the course of an hour, the Cavs brought in Rodney Hood from the Utah Jazz and George Hill from the Sacramento Kings to go with the acquisitions of Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr. from the Lakers, shipping out Thomas, Channing Frye, Jae Crowder, Derrick Rose, Iman Shumpert, Dwyane Wade and the team’s 2018 first-round pick.
The result of all that dealing? The Cavaliers are once again the favourites to return to the final out of the Eastern Conference after remaking their roster with a desperately needed blend of youth, athleticism, shooting and defence.
Outside of Cleveland, Thursday’s deadline was a dud. A few deals were made, mostly spare parts exchanged for second-round picks or bad teams taking flyers on former lottery picks (Emmanuel Mudiay to the New York Knicks and Elfrid Payton to the Phoenix Suns).
The Toronto Raptors sent fringe prospect Bruno Caboclo to Sacramento for G-League guard Malachi Richardson, a move designed mostly to free up cash to sign potential veterans expected to be bought out of their contracts in the coming days.
Otherwise, it was much ado about nothing.
Two hotly discussed players, DeAndre Jordan and Avery Bradley, remained with the Los Angeles Clippers, who will try to make the playoffs after agreeing Wednesday to a contract extension with Lou Williams. Even pieces such as Tyreke Evans and Marco Belinelli — players widely expected to move — wound up staying with the Memphis Grizzlies and Atlanta Hawks, respectively. Across the league, teams decided it was worth hanging onto such players instead of getting a minor asset or taking on future money.
That wasn’t the case in Cleveland. The Cavaliers, knowing they needed to do something to help convince James to stay, decided to swing for the fences.
Before the latter moves, though, there was confusion around the league about what Cleveland was trying to accomplish. By taking on Clarkson and Nance, the Cavaliers gave the Lakers the ability to approach $70 million in cap room this summer (assuming they stretch the remaining $36 million on Luol Deng’s contract and don’t keep Julius Randle). That will have Los Angeles easily within striking distance of being able to offer max contracts to both James and Oklahoma City Thunder star Paul George. It’s a scenario the Lakers have been planning for over a year.
But the Cavaliers clearly decided they weren’t going to waste what could be James’ final season in Cleveland. By making deals for young players with years remaining on their contracts, they also are able to provide James with pieces that can help them if he chooses to re-sign.
On a team with an aging roster and little athleticism, adding a trio of 25-year-olds (Clarkson, Nance and Hood) will feel like a breath of fresh air.
Clarkson is averaging 14.5 points per game and 3.3 assists this season and while he’s only a career 33 per cent three-point shooter, the combo guard gives Cleveland a backcourt dimension it previously didn’t have.
Nance is a good defensive big who has the ability to play above the rim and may be a better starting option than Tristan Thompson. Either way, the Cavaliers got a much-needed boost to what has been one of the worst defences in the league this season.
Hood had fallen out of favour in Utah, but he is precisely the kind of player that has always thrived playing alongside James. The swingman was averaging 16.8 points per game for the Jazz this season, while shooting 38.9 per cent from threepoint range.
Hill, 31, has looked disinterested at times in Sacramento this season, but he’s still shooting 45 per cent from three-point range and with his length and ability to both play on and off the ball and guard multiple positions, he will help Cleveland’s issues defensively.