The Cleveland Cavaliers got a few headlines late this week with a trade that involved sending veteran and long-time Cavs player Larry Nance Jr. to the Chicago Bulls, and then was shipped to the Portland Trailblazers when the move became a three-team trade.
In return, the Cavs added a big man, another 7 footer in Lauri Markkanen who came over from the Chicago Bulls. The relatively young former Bull, now a Cavs player, has more of a knack to put up long-distance threes and would lead to some interesting Cavs lineups as the season opens this fall.
The Cavs lose one big man and gain another. What is the balance in the end?
With the departure of Nance Jr. and the new pickup of Markkanen, the Cavs are losing a player, a leader of the Cavs and a good defender on the floor. But in exchange they are getting a very good shooter and big man who can extend defenses and create good spacing on the floor.
Let’s dig a little deeper and analyze the pros and cons of the move for the Cavs, which will help us evaluate whether this was a good move by the team.
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.
Cavs: Pros of trading Larry Nance Jr. for Lauri Markkanen: Youth Movement
It’s not that Nance Jr. is old because he’s only 28 years old, but Markkanen is only 24 years old and that makes him more in step with the rest of the team as far as the youth movement. If everyone on the team is young, though, you have to question where these young Cavs players are going to go to get that leadership and wisdom that older players have?
On the other hand, having a young core of players working together and developing team chemistry could lead to a more cohesive team in the end. I recall back-in-the-day when the old Cavs teams of the late 1980s brought in all that young talent from Brad Daugherty to Mark Price and Ron Harper, but they also, ironically, brought in the elder Larry Nance Sr. who was a veteran player they got in a trade from the Phoenix Suns.
Building that team, as they seem to be doing now, from a young core could be the baby steps this team needs to eventually become a consistent winner in the league. Now the average age on the team is 24 years old. You compare that to an old and cranky team like the Los Angeles Lakers whose average age is 31 years old, and you can see why Cavs fans should be more optimistic of the future.
Cavs: Cons of trading Larry Nance Jr. for Lauri Markkanen: Losing a leader
The Cavs are losing a leader in Larry Nance Jr, plus a kid that grew up in Ohio as his dad, the before-mentioned Nance Sr., stayed in Cleveland after he played with the team back in the day and raised Nance Jr as a Northeastern Ohio kid. For both of those reasons he’s become a fan favorite.
With the young team that the Cavs have assembled since the departure of Lebron James Part 2, having Nance, along with players like Kevin Love, stick around to guide the youth movement was a big plus. It didn’t create wins, but it helped establish a new identity for this team moving forward.
The local Cleveland community is also losing an individual who has helped in the community in various ways over the years. Recently, Nance Jr. was recognized for helping local businesses during this Covid 19 pandemic. That sense for the importance of leading on the court and off isn’t always something that comes naturally to all players.
Lauri Markkanen or another one of the young players could grow into that leadership role, but until that happens it will be a hole on the team. Nance Jr. meant a lot to the fabric of this team and this community.
Cavs: Cons of trading Larry Nance Jr. for Lauri Markkanen: Defensive skillset
Larry Nance Jr. was considered a strong defender, including having good footwork, and a rim protector who could mix it up down low. Lauri Markkanen, on the other hand, isn’t considered a strong defender. Despite his length, he’d rather play on the outside and not battle it out down in the trenches.
So while the Cavs might be picking up a player that could average more points a game than Nance Jr., they are losing points on the other end because Markkanen isn’t defending or protecting the rim.
When Nance Jr. was healthy and playing more consistently, he was very good at reacting and getting to spots on the floor and had the natural ability to hustle back on defense when the opposition was pushing the ball in transition. I’ll miss that energy from Nance.
Though I think that adding Markkanen is more of a win for the Cavs, mostly because you’re adding a player that can draw a defense out because of his ability to knock down the long-distance three, Nance Jr. leaving will hurt simply because he’s been a member of the Cavs for many years now and has a long-standing bond with the team and community.