Cavs: Pros and cons of trading away Larry Nance Jr.
By John Suchan
Cavs: Pros of trading Larry Nance Jr. for Lauri Markkanen: An offensive upgrade
Although Markkannen is a big man, his strength lies in his shooting, especially from three-point land. He’s a 44% shooter from the floor and has a 15.6 points per game career average, much higher than Nance’s 8.3 points per game average in his career.
The trade is an interesting move by the Cavs because it’s trading one big man for another, and the Cavs are already prepping their newly drafted big man Evan Mobley to play alongside center Jarrett Allen, who just signed a very lucrative deal with the Cavs that will pay him north of $20 million a season.
Where the Cavs intend on playing Markkanen in the lineup will be interesting to see. I imagine that he’ll continue to come off the bench like he was in Chicago. After starting all but one game through his first three seasons, last year the Bulls moved him to the bench midway through the season.
If he does come off the bench he’ll be able to extend opposing teams’ defenses because he likes the three-point shot. He’s averaged 6.1 three-point shots a game over his career. By way of contract, Nance Jr. averaged only 1.2 three-point shots taken in a game.
If the Cavs stick with their most veteran player in power forward Kevin Love, and bring him off the bench along with Markkannen, I imagine the offensive possibilities could be a real plus for the Cavs.