It’s been a busy trade deadline for the Cleveland Cavaliers, who have been desperately looking to upgrade their roster after a month of poor basketball.
First, they struck a deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, landing Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr. for Isaiah Thomas, Channing Frye, and their own 2018 first-round pick. Now the Cavaliers have made another major move to shore up their roster.
Cavaliers land two guards in blockbuster three-team deal
In a three-team exchange, the Cavaliers have acquired Jazz guard Rodney Hood and Kings guard George Hill, sending Derrick Rose and Jae Crowder to Utah and Iman Shumpert along with a 2020 second-round pick via Miami and $3 million cash to Sacramento.
The Utah Jazz are also sending veteran guard Joe Johnson to the Kings.
The Cavaliers have now redecorated their entire roster, adding a handful of young pieces along with the veteran George Hill. This may be a ploy for them to try and convince James to stay, but the four-time MVP has yet to commit to the team long term.
Breaking down the deal
For the Cavaliers, they’ve wanted Hill’s services for a long time. He is a shoot-first point guard, who will fit in beautifully alongside LeBron James. He is also a savvy defender and a high I.Q. player. Additionally, the Cavs receive an enormous amount of outside shooting with Hood. The young wing player has been averaging a career-high 16.8 points on nearly 39 percent shooting from long distance.
The Kings were hoping to clear some cap space in this deal and to give their young players more opportunity. With Hill gone, they can give De’Aaron Fox the keys to the offense while also raising the minutes for backup point guard Frank Mason when he returns from injury. Johnson, meanwhile, has an expiring contract, which benefits the Kings in the long run.
As for Shumpert, he has a player option for next season, which he can choose to opt out giving the Kings, even more, cap space.
As for the Jazz, they made this move because of Donovan Mitchell, who is slowly becoming the face of the franchise. The rookie has played so well, which had caused a logjam at the wing for Utah. With Johnson and Hood out of the equation, the Jazz have trust in their youngster to play heavy minutes every night.
The Cavaliers have flushed out their opening night roster and are hoping to turn things around after all these trades. Meanwhile, the Jazz and Kings are concerned about their future, making an ideal trade to allow for their young players to grow.
