Cleveland Cavaliers: 3 players who could be available for new pick
By Ryan Piers
In a flurry of trades, the Cleveland Cavaliers swapped for a first round pick. Here are three possible players they made land with it.
The NBA trade deadline rarely disappoints. Even this year, with the marquee trade that never happened, fans feel fulfilled. Big names switched conferences. Young teams firmly established themselves as contenders. One player was even traded mid-game.
Yet, the Cleveland Cavaliers managed to be just as active as anyone. The team’s first of two trades netted a pair of second round picks and pieces for Rodney Hood. Those pieces — Nik Stauskas and Wade Baldwin — were included in a multi-team trade that brought back Brandon Knight (and his bulky contract), Marquese Chriss and (queue the harps and Hallelujah’s) a first-round pick. A first-round pick!
The Houston Rocket‘s attached the lottery-protected selection in order to get out from Brandon Knight’s salary. And the Cavs, with no intentions of signing a pricey free agent, will gladly pay Knight the more than $15.6 million he’s owed next season for the pick. That’s the zonky world of the NBA salary cap in a nutshell.
Barring injury to James Harden, the Rockets are making the playoffs. But they aren’t exactly world beaters like the Milwaukee Bucks or Golden State Warriors. So the pick could fall in the low to mid-20s.
If the season would end today, Cleveland would be sitting with the 21st pick. It’s the slot that’s yielded Rajon Rondo, Michael Finley and other big names. Could this be the year Cleveland snags an overlooked All-Star? Here are the best three, yet still realistic players Cleveland could land with Houston’s selection.