Regrading the Cavs’ sign and trade for Lauri Markkanen

Regrading the Cavs’ sign and trade for Lauri Markkanen: How it looked then

The original move came as something of a surprise; with the dust mostly settled in free agency it looked like the Cavaliers were shopping on the margins when suddenly they sprang for a much bigger fish in Markkanen. In making the move the Cavs committed $67 million in salary over four years, traded a valuable veteran big in Nance and had to figure out his fit with this roster. How did we think about those things at the time?

The value on the deal itself seemed fine; Markkanen is making an average of $16.75 million, which is fine for a starter but a bit of an overpay for a reserve. At the time it was unclear which it was, but given Markkanen’s youth and talent level that was a reasonable number, even if there was an aspect of “who was giving him more?”

The trade itself was tougher to appraise, as it depended on the value of Larry Nance Jr. around the league. Nance on his contract seemed more valuable than Markkanen on his, but that’s only if another team was willing to play ball at that level. As it was the Cavs had to find a third team anyway.

Picturing Markkanen in a big rotation with Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen looked like a great idea, as he could pair well with either of them as the backup 4. His shooting would space the floor for whichever center he paired with.

In the end, the consensus was that the money was fine, the fit was good if he was a backup, and the roster difficulties of paying yet another big significant money was a mistake. How did things go from there?