Point Four-ward: Boogie to the Deadline

USA Today

Year after year as the trade deadline approaches, the rumors intensify and internet GMs ponder and debate potential, franchise changing moves.  This year, the trade season has yielded some early fruit with some big moves happening well before this Thursday’s deadline.  Early in January, the Cavs made a move, nabbing crucial floor spacer and rim rocker, Kyle Korver.  Then, the Nuggets and Trailblazers exchanged big men and picks.  Finally, just this last week, the Raptors traded for Serge Ibaka and the Pelicans acquired DeMarcus Cousins in one of the more unexpected blockbuster trades in recent memory.  It seems like the whole league is “boogie”-ing towards improving their team while they can, whether it be for the long term or the immediate future.

1. The Kings made a deal… and may have lost big

Boogie Cousins is a very talented big man with some on the court antics that have proven detrimental to himself and his team. He complains to the refs all the time, and is already at the maximum threshold for technical fouls for the season, forcing Cousins to face a game suspension for every other tech going forward.  That said, the return the Kings got for one of the best big men in the game was very small.  To put it in perspective, the Cavs got an unprotected first round pick for Mo Williams (the first time around), while the Kings received a top-3 protected pick for Cousins.  With GM and former player Vlade Divac going as far to admit that he “had a better offer two days ago,” the Kings look foolish in the aftermath.

Source familiar w/ Kings’ thinking: "Vivek thinks Buddy [Hield] has Steph Curry potential.” Am told that fixation was a key driver in deal.

— Baxter Holmes (@Baxter) February 20, 2017

The owner of the Kings, Vivek Ranadive, has long had a fascination with the Golden State Warriors (at one point he was even a minority owner of that team).  He once even called former first round pick, Nik Stauskas, a player who “shoots like Steph Curry with the size of Klay Thompson.”  He clearly has his own take on the players he likes, and his opinion of Buddy Hield was on display in this deal.  At the end of the day, the owner writes the checks and has the ultimate power to make the decisions, but it’s got to be hard for others in the Kings front office to stomach. You hire the guys, spend the money on technology and research, and then try to build a culture only to have the final say get hijacked.  It’s also a sad day for the Sacramento fan base, as they now have only the draft lottery to look forward to, in the hopes that the next star player for their team can be found (which would be a bit easier if the Kings hadn’t already mortgaged some of their future picks in the Stauskas trade with the 76ers).

2. Players aren’t the only things changing

The Lakers, who lost out in the race for Cousins reportedly over their reluctance to include first round pick Brandon Ingram in the deal, decided to shake things up, firing long time General Manager Mitch Kupchak and Jim Buss.  While the Lakers have been disappointing over the last few years, many have jumped to say this signals “rock bottom” for Laker Nation.  It certainly seemed like the once proud organization had gone too far off the rails under the leadership of Jim Buss, resulting in his sister Jeannie taking the reins and naming Magic Johnson as the President of Basketball Operations going forward.

The Hall of Fame former Laker player, has been on the record with some very interesting takes regarding his team.  Johnson’s assessment that Byron Scott was a good coach and the Lakers would challenge for the playoffs the last few seasons is an indication that his eye for talent and management may not be as strong as his on-court vision.  The Cavs and Lakers have been intertwined a bit over recent years, with the Lakers hiring two consecutive coaches whom the Cavs fired (Mike Brown and Byron Scott), and a huge (and widely questioned) free agent signing of Timofey Mozgov this past summer.  While the change of direction at the top may be a relief to Laker Nation, it remains to be seen if the decisions will be smarter going forward.  Considering the move to shake up the front office happened two days before the trading deadline, it’s either a sign that the Lakers truly understand the gravity of the situation or the same kind of knee-jerk thinking that put LA in the cap-binding position of paying Timofey Mozgov and Luol Deng $140M over the next 3+ years. We should get the answer quickly, as President Magic has already reportedly traded sixth man, Lou Williams, to the Houston Rockets for swingman, Corey Brewer, and an unprotected first round pick.

3. Are the Cavs opening to moving Shumpert?

With the Cavs already making some moves, more activity may or may not be coming via the trade route.  With conflicting reports of the Cavs looking to deal versus exploring the buyout market, it’s tough to get a read on what is truly happening inside the Cavs’ war room.  However, the one trade chip on the team rumored to be available to potentially improve the Cavs roster is Iman Shumpert.

Will say this about #Cavs: Opposing execs have told me Iman Shumpert is clearly available and there is indeed interest around league.

— Sam Amico (@AmicoHoops) February 21, 2017

A trade of Shumpert would seem to indicate that the Cavs feel they have enough wing players to make their run to a repeat.  With the acquisitions of Korver and Derrick Williams (although still temporary, and maybe not a true wing), and the expected return of J.R. Smith in the near future, the Cavs may be willing to deal Shump for a playmaker or a big (or both) to help deepen the bench. For me, the Cavs would have to get a wing back in any Shumpert deal.  He has been a solid starter, shooting much better this season from deep while harassing opposing point guards, shooting guards and small forwards.  Although Shumpert’s defensive impact may be a bit overrated, the Cavs aren’t exactly lighting up that side of the court, and may have gone “All-In” on outscoring their foes.

4. The Cavs could make a move regardless

I'd be shocked if the Cavaliers didn't make a trade before the deadline. They have aggressively pursued win-now moves.

— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) February 21, 2017

The Cavs have a history of making deadline deals.  Last year the Cavs netted Channing Frye en route to the Finals.  The year before, Waiters Island departed The Land to help facilitate the arrival of Shumpert, J.R. Smith, and Timofey Mozgov.  This year, the Cavs have already traded Mike Dunleavy for Kyle Korver and picked up Derrick Williams on a 10-day contract (a second one is reportedly in the works).  However, the Cavs now have an empty roster spot (possibly two if they ultimately let Williams walk).  Regardless of whether a trade materializes (the Cavs let a couple exceptions expire on Feb 20th), or if they pick up a player after a buyout, Cleveland will more than likely make a move to have a full (15 players) and hopefully healthy roster in their title defense.

I suspect #Cavs will find post-trade deadline buyout market to be more beneficial than another trade. Their deal came when they got Korver.

— Sam Amico (@AmicoHoops) February 21, 2017

Regardless of what happens in the next 24-48 hours, Cleveland Internet GMs should still be pretty comfortable with this roster, since it’s still one that has the best player in the world to defend the Larry O’Brien trophy.

Go Cavs.