Trade Breakdown: Cavs get Clarkson, Nance Jr. for Thomas, Frye

The Cleveland Cavaliers have traded Isaiah Thomas, Channing Frye and a protected first-round pick to the Los Angeles Lakers in order to acquire Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Cleveland Cavaliers shipped point guard Isaiah Thomas, center Channing Frye and a protected first-round pick to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for combo guard Jordan Clarkson and forward-center Larry Nance Jr. on Thursday.

This is a move that was the first of three reported by Wojnarowski.

The Cavs also completed a three-team deal with the Sacramento Kings and Utah Jazz that brought George Hill and Rodney Hood to the Cavs in exchange for Derrick Rose, Iman Shumpert and Jae Crowder. Rose and Crowder head to Utah as Shumpert heads to Sacramento.

The Cleveland Cavaliers also traded shooting guard Dwyane Wade to the Miami Heat, where he spent the first thirteen years of his basketball career and won three NBA championships.

With those other moves in perspective, it’s a lot easier to see where Clarkson and Nance Jr. fit in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ new rotation. It would seem that Clarkson will be the primary ball-handler for the second unit instead of Rose and Wade while Nance Jr. replaces Frye as the backup center.

With Clarkson in place of Rose and Wade, the Cleveland Cavaliers get a player who, first and foremost, can be relied on to play in the game. While Rose and Wade have missed a combined 44 games this season and have a lengthy injury history, Clarkson has played in all but three games over the past three seasons.

To add, while Rose (9.8 points and 1.6 assists per game) and Wade (11.2 points and 3.5 rebounds per game) were solid playmakers in the second unit, Clarkson (14.5 points and 3.3 assists per game) has simply been more productive in a bench role. Clarkson, who is shooting 32.4 percent from three-point range, isn’t going to be knocking down a lot of shots behind the arc.

However, Clarkson is shooting 36.9 percent on catch-and-shoot threes. Rose was shooting 25.0 percent from three-point range and just 17.6 percent on catch-and-shoot threes for the Cavs. Wade was shooting 32.9 percent from three-point range and 27.6 percent on catch-and-shoot threes.

There won’t be much stylistic difference, as all three players are primarily slashers. Clarkson is just more durable, better finishing around the rim on drives and a bigger catch-and-shoot threat in an offense that thrives from swinging the ball around to shooters or kicking it out to shooters after perimeter penetration.

Defensively, while Clarkson isn’t a reputable one-on-one defender, he has younger legs and would be more capable of keeping up with teams who play at a fast pace.

Nance Jr., a 6-foot-9 big man with a high basketball IQ, elite athleticism and a high motor, will be a versatile piece for the Cleveland Cavaliers on both ends of the floor.

He’s not going to be knocking down three-point shots like Frye would, as he’s only a 25.0 percent shooter from three for his career. However, he can also consistently make shots up to ten feet away the rim and be a threat in the pick-and-roll as well.

With the arrival of Nance Jr., the Cavs now have a player who could replace Tristan Thompson in the starting lineup and still be a defensive menace. This would be the first time since James’ return that the Cleveland Cavaliers will have two mobile big men to choose from, players that allow the team to feast on small-ball lineups thanks to their combination of size and quickness.

Nance Jr., son of Cleveland Cavaliers legend Larry Nance, is averaging 8.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.5 blocks in 22.0 minutes per game.

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*Unless otherwise referenced, all stats gathered from www.basketball-reference.com