Portland Trail Blazers: Should they sell high on Shabazz Napier?

A Cavs trade

Why Portland does this trade

The Blazers are not the team they expected to be this season. They need to save money and acquire assets.

Portland gets Channing Frye, a veteran big man that can stretch the floor. He only has one year left on his contract and then is a free agent this summer. The Blazers could let him walk or bring him back for cheap.

Frye played in Portland for two seasons from 2007-09, so he doesn’t have an issue playing in a small market. He is near the end of his career and won’t be demanding minutes. Frye is a great locker room guy and could be a mentor for the younger guys on the roster. Portland hasn’t had a guy like that since Chris Kaman.

Also coming with Frye is a first round pick, The Cavaliers are one of the top teams in the NBA so their draft pick will be towards the end of the first round. Unfortunately, the Brooklyn draft pick that Cleveland received in the Isaiah Thomas deal would never be in play even with the Nets are actually winning games.

Why Cleveland does this trade

The Cavs need a backup guard that can shoot and make plays. They signed Derrick Rose to be the backup to Isaiah Thomas, but Rose has had a quiet year and even left the team for a bit. He can’t space the floor with shooting and really needs the ball in his hands to effective.

Thomas is the starter for the Cavs and is currently slowly coming back from a serious hip injury. He will eventually be back to full health, but they won’t be able to play him heavy minutes every night and will need a backup that can come in and help the team keep their momentum going.

Napier gives the Cavaliers another guy who can score, shoot and a guy who can run the offense and make plays. He can be the sixth man providing energy off the bench and start if they need him to. LeBron James wanted Napier on his team in Miami, but now can have him on his team in Cleveland. They also can re-sign him if they want or let him walk since he is on a one-year deal.

The Cavs will want to load up for the playoffs and adding Napier is a good way to do that. They also get Ed Davis, a smart, physical rebounder on both ends of the floor to make the contacts work. He would help the Cavs make a championship push, providing depth and toughness for them in the frontcourt. Ed Davis is also on a one-year deal.

This trade equips Cleveland with two good players who can start or come off the bench for them in the playoffs. They send their own first round pick in this deal, which is near the end of the first round, since they have the Brooklyn pick to fall back on.