For those of you who thought the Cleveland Cavaliers would be done after trading away Isaiah Thomas, you thought wrong.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported as much just two hours before the NBA trade deadline on Feb. 8th.
Three-team trade
In the trade, the Cavs received Rodney Hood from Utah and George Hill from Sacramento. In return they sent Jae Crowder and Derrick Rose to the Jazz, and Iman Shumpert to the Kings. The Kings will also get veteran swingman Joe Johnson and the Cavaliers’ 2020 second-round pick via Miami.
It has also been reported by sources close to the league that the Minnesota Timberwolves will try to acquire Derrick Rose from the Jazz. All signs point to Rose being released on waivers by Utah, which leaves T-Wolves coach Tom Thibodeau to reunite with his former point guard.
This trade allows the Cavaliers to add a talented young guard, and trade away some veteran role-players for another vet in George Hill. This is significant because they traded away their starting point guard, Isaiah Thomas, earlier today.
George Hill is a significant improvement over Thomas defensively, and he can provide about as much offensively, as the struggling Thomas did. Rodney Hood also adds 16.7 points per game and provides more versatility than Shumpert.
Dwyane Wade
Still not finished, however, Cleveland sent Dwyane Wade back to his old stomping grounds.
The Miami Heat acquired Wade for a “heavily protected” second-round pick. Wade has stated in the past that he would like to finish his NBA career in Miami. This makes the deal mutually beneficial to both parties.
These moves are a concerted effort by Cleveland to get younger, and fix some glaring issues plaguing the team. It also seems as if, by keeping the Brooklyn pick but still adding talent, the Cavaliers are prepared for LeBron to either stay or leave after his contract expires at the end of the season.
Team chemistry will have to be built for the Cavs to return to their winning ways. In all fairness, though, the chemistry was lacking before the moves, so it’s not a huge step backwards.
The overhaul is officially on.
Featured image by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images
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