The day many of us have been waiting for. The 2018 NBA trade deadline did not disappoint us this year. We did not have marquee stars moving around, but we did see a sweeping number of role players being moved around the league.
The Cleveland Cavaliers had a complete overhaul of their roster. Instead of relying on older veterans to turn the switch in the playoffs, the Cavaliers opted to get younger, and longer on the perimeter. The roster moves may not be enough to beat the Golden State Warriors or Houston Rockets, but the moves leave the Cavaliers in a better position if LeBron James does leave this summer.
The first move was made with the Los Angeles Lakers. Many people were puzzled with the Lakers making a trade with the Cavaliers, but this trade opened up their salary cap for two max players this summer.
Cleveland Receives:
- PG/SG Jordan Clarkson
- PF/C Larry Nance Jr.
Los Angeles Receives:
- PG Isaiah Thomas
- PF/C Channing Frye
- Cleveland’s 2018 first-round pick with protections
The next move for the Cleveland Cavaliers came in the form of a three team trade with the Utah Jazz and Sacramento Kings. This move was more about bringing cap relief to Utah and Sacramento, but it does free some things up.
Cleveland Receives:
- SF Rodney Hood
- PG/SG George Hill
Sacramento Receives:
- SF Iman Shumpert
- SF/PF Joe Johnson
- Miami’s 2020 second round pick
Utah Receives:
- SF/PF Jae Crowder
- PG Derrick Rose(to be waived)
Many people are questioning the decision made by the Utah Jazz to move Rodney Hood. His defensive deficiencies have become increasingly problematic, and his offensive contributions mirror that of rookie sensation Donovan Mitchell. Jae Crowder is having an off year, but he is only owed $15.1 million over the next two years. Crowder is also the best you could hope for in Hood.
The Cleveland Cavaliers were not finished. After consulting with LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, everyone agreed it was best to send Dwyane Wade home to Miami. With his playing time expected to be heavily limited in Cleveland, Wade can now take some of the minutes left behind with the injury to Dion Waiters.
Cleveland Receives:
- Miami’s heavily protected 2024 second-round pick
Miami Receives:
- SG Dwyane Wade
We also had some minor trades happen in the league. The next few trades are full of players people probably have not heard of yet, or forgot they were in the league.
Orlando Receives:
- 2018 Memphis’s second-round pick
Phoenix Receives:
- PG Elfrid Payton
Portland Receives:
- PF Milovan Rakovic
Chicago Receives:
- PF/C Noah Vonleh
Miami Receives:
- SF/PF Luke Babbitt
Atlanta Receives:
- PF Okaro White(waived)
Detroit Receives:
- PG Jameer Nelson
- 2022 second-round pick
Chicago Receives:
- C Willie Reed
- 20200 second-round pick
Sacramento Receives:
- SF Bruno Caboclo
Toronto Receives:
- SG/SF Malachi Richardson
Detroit Receives:
- James Ennis
Memphis Receives:
- Brice Johnson
- Second-round pick
Denver Receives:
- Devin Harris
- Future pick
New York Receives:
- Emmanuel Mudiay
Dallas Receives:
- Doug McDermott
New Orleans Receives:
- Rashad Vaughn
Brooklyn Receives:
- Dante Cunningham
NBA Source Today 