Best trade deadline deals in Cavaliers franchise history

Best trade deadline deals #2: 1988 deal for Larry Nance

The very best player to arrive in Cleveland directly from a Trade Deadline deal was all the way back in 1988, when the Cavs sent out Tyrone Corbin, Kevin Johnson, Mark West, a first-round pick and two seconds to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Larry Nance, Mike Sanders and a first-round pick. It was quite the deal.

Nance went on to have a strong career for the Cavaliers, making two more All-Star teams and multiple All-Defensive Teams. He was a key part of the fabric of that late-80s and early-90s team, which was the best core of players in franchise history until LeBron James’ heyday.

The reason this trade is not ranked No. 1 is that while the Cavs got an elite player back, they also sent one out; Kevin Johnson went on to make three All-Star teams and five All-NBA squads. In the year after the trade he won Most Improved Player and he never looked back. The pick traded to the Suns also became Dan Majerle, a three-time All-Star. Great return, but at a great cost.

Best trade deadline deals #1: 2011 deal for Baron Davis and an unprotected first

On the surface, this trade probably doesn’t look like the kind of deal that would be ranked first. In the midst of rebuilding after the departure of LeBron James (the first time), the Cavs sold off Mo Williams and Jamario Moon at the deadline to the LA Clippers, who sent back Baron Davis and a first-round pick.

Davis would play just 15 games with Cleveland (and 34 total for his career after that deal), but the trade wasn’t about the player. It was about the unprotected pick the Cavs had retained, and when that pick leaped all the way up to No. 1 they were able to draft Kyrie Irving as the centerpiece of their rebuild. Irving, for all of his flaws, was crucial in bringing this team its first-ever championship.

Honorable Mentions: JaVale McGee for Isaiah Hartenstein (2021); Antawn Jamison for Big Z (2010); Reshaping the entire rotation (2008)