Cavs: Grading the Lauri Markkanen deal from all angles

Cavs: Grading the Lauri Markkanen deal from all angles – Trade cost

Lauri Markkanen was a restricted free agent this summer, which means technically he could have been signed without a team giving up any assets to do so. Because the Chicago Bulls had match rights on any deal, however, the most likely path to signing Markkanen was either a significant overpay on the contract or working out a sign and trade.

That type of sign and trade has been en vogue this offseason, with the Chicago Bulls acquiring a player themselves in Lonzo Ball who was a restricted free agent with the New Orleans Pelicans; the Pelicans then replaced Ball by working out a sign and trade with the Charlotte Hornets for Devonte’ Graham.

Back to Cleveland, the Cavs had to work out a trade because they didn’t have the salary cap space to sign Markkanen outright anyway. To bring in the sharpshooting forward they sent out Larry Nance Jr., who was routed to the Portland Trail Blazers, and a protected 2023 second-round pick they acquired from the Denver Nuggets in the JaVale McGee trade last year.

Nance is a valuable player to a contending squad, and especially to a team like Portland with a need on both defense and at the forward position. Nance will likely close games often for the Trail Blazers, and they gave up a relatively small amount to bring him in: a slightly negative contract in Derrick Jones Jr. and a lottery-protected first-round pick.

The Pelicans gave up a first-round pick to bring in Graham, while the Bulls sent a second-round pick and two reasonably-priced bench players to the Pelicans for Ball. In that light, the Cavs gave up a much better player, one who should have been worth more in a trade. That he wasn’t is surprising.

Would Nance have been worth more at the trade deadline? It’s very possible, and keeping Nance around for the first half of the season would have allowed him to mentor the young players on the roster. He also could have suffered a serious injury and tanked his value, and given his injury history trading him when he is healthy seems sound.

The Cavs should have found a way to get more back for a talented defensive forward on an excellent contract, but they didn’t. Given that reality, if Nance was worth just part of a non-premium first-roud pick, then that was fair value for the sign-and-trade, but it certainly wasn’t a great way to flip that asset.

Grade: D