Cavaliers just traded away LeBron James' best bud
Well, anyone who thought the Cleveland Cavaliers would blow the team up after losing 14 of their last 22 games was 100 percent correct.
Mere minutes after news broke that the Cavaliers had traded away Isaiah Thomas to the Lakers, the Cavaliers continued the dramatic roster overhaul, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
First, news broke that the Cavaliers were engaging in a three-team trade with the Sacramento Kings and Utah Jazz to overhaul their backcourt.
The Cavaliers ultimately ended up with Rodney Hood and George Hill.
The Jazz will add Jae Crowder and Derrick Rose.
The Kings picked up veteran Joe Johnson and Iman Shumpert.
There may be other second-round picks involved in the trade as it gets finalized.
It didn’t take long for the other shoe to drop.
In a quest to get younger and more athletic, the Cavaliers traded the 36-year old Dwyane Wade back to the Miami Heat.
Wade, as has been well-chronicled, is one of James’ closest friends.
Of note, the Cavaliers traded Wade for virtually nothing.
this is insane
— noah (@nhefke23) February 8, 2018
In return for Wade, the Heat sent a heavily protected second-round pick to the Cavaliers, but reports emerged that the the Cavaliers are rerouting that pick to the Kings as part of the aforementioned three-team trade.
So just to recap, in the last hour or so, the Cavaliers jettisoned Isaiah Thomas, Channing Frye, Crowder, Rose, Wade and Shumpert for Jordan Clarkson, Larry Nance Jr., Hill and Hood.
It’s a dramatic overhaul, but it’s also fair to ask if the Cavaliers improved.
The team is younger, more athletic and a little better at shooting, but Clarkson, Nance and Hood aren’t exactly defensive stoppers. While Hill has a reputation as a defensive guard, he has noticeably slipped on that end of the court at age 31.
It should also be noted that the Cavaliers very clearly seem to be planning for a post-LeBron future.
Clarkson, Nance and Hill are all locked up on multiyear contracts. Hood will be a restricted free agent, so the Cavaliers will have the right to match any contract lavished on him.
Throw in the 2018 Brooklyn Nets’ first-round pick that the Cavaliers own, and there is a legitimate framework for life after LeBron.
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