Shortly before the end of the trade deadline, the Cleveland Cavaliers are turning over half their team. Most of all, Isaiah Thomas is suffering, for whom an uncertain future awaits at the Lakers. But what do the moves mean for the rest of the league? And are the Cavs again a favorite for the title? SPOX answers the most important questions.
Boredom and trade deadline – that obviously doesn’t fit together. Quite a few experts expected a rather quiet day in the run-up to the trade deadline on Thursday, but there was no sign of calm in the end. At 6:15 p. m. at the latest in German time – i. e. about three hours before the deadline expired – these same fears were shattered: the well-informed Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN ignited his first Woj-Bomb with the news of the trades of Isaiah Thomas to the Lakers. Many more should follow.
All in all, the teams had twelve deals in the final hours before the deadline, just as many as in 2015, which according to ESPN Stats & Info represents a record for the last 30 years. In addition to Thomas, 27 other players were involved in the trades. As I said, there was no trace of boredom.
The last wild hours before the deadline were mainly due to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs were by far the most active franchise and almost completely transformed their team: Thomas, who only moved from Kyrie Irving to Ohio last summer as part of the trade, was shipped to the Los Angeles Lakers together with Channing Frye and a 2018 first-round pick. In the future, Larry Nance and Jordan Clarkson will cover the Cavs-Jersey.
Rodney Hood and George Hill will also be playing alongside LeBron James, while Dwyane Wade (to the Heat), Iman Shumpert (to the Kings), Derrick Rose (to the Jazz, to be dismissed) and Jae Crowder (to the Jazz) will have to leave the team.
Meanwhile, the pistons that got Jameer Nelson from the Bulls (for Willie Reed and pick swap rights) and James Ennis for Brice Johnson and a second round pick from Memphis also got stronger. Emmanuel Mudiay moved from the nuggets to New York as part of a three-team trade, Devin Harris landed in Denver and Dallas Mavericks received Doug McDermott and a second round pick. The Magic also bartered Point Guard Elfrid Payton for a second round pick to the Suns. A detailed list of all deals of the Wild Trade Deadline Day can be found here.
Page 1: What happened?
Page 2: What do the deals mean for the Cavaliers?
Page 3: What does the Thomas deal mean for the Lakers?
Page 4: What does Trade mean to Thomas?
Page 5: What do the deals mean for the rest of the league?