King James Gospel
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Ranking the 12 worst trades in Cleveland Cavaliers history

By Josh Cornelissen

James Worthy#42, Small Forward and Power Forward for the Los Angeles Lakers during the NBA Pacific Division basketball game against the Los Angeles Clippers on 15th February 1994 at the Great Western Forum arena in Inglewood, Los Angeles, California, United States. The Los Angeles Clippers won the game 100 - 89. (Photo by J.D. Cuban/Allsport/Getty Images)
James Worthy#42, Small Forward and Power Forward for the Los Angeles Lakers during the NBA Pacific Division basketball game against the Los Angeles Clippers on 15th February 1994 at the Great Western Forum arena in Inglewood, Los Angeles, California, United States. The Los Angeles Clippers won the game 100 - 89. (Photo by J.D. Cuban/Allsport/Getty Images) /
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Cleveland Cavaliers
16 Oct 1996: Guard Derek Harper of the Dallas Mavericks in action against the Los Angeles Lakers during a game at the Selland Arena in Fresno, California. The Lakers defeated the Mavericks 90-80. /

Worst Trade No. 3: Cavs send two firsts for bench players

Walking back in time four months, the Cavaliers had made another trade with the Dallas Mavericks. In October of 1980, just a few weeks into the season, the Cavaliers decided to target a pair of players on the Mavericks. On the surface, that seemed like an obviously foolish decision.

Dallas, in their first season of existence, had added players through the expansion draft to begin their time in the NBA. That meant these were players generally not wanted by the rest of the league. The Cavaliers, however, decided these were the players to go after in trades — and more so, to pay through the nose to add.

Center Jerome Whitehead averaged 5.3 points and four rebounds per game in seven appearances for the Mavericks in 1980-81; that was double the 2.5 points he averaged the season before. Richard Washington, a power forward, put up 10 points and 5.7 rebounds per game in 11 games for Dallas. Again: both of these players were unprotected in the expansion draft and were relatively unproductive on a brand-new team destined for 15 wins.

The Cavaliers and Ted Stepien decided they wanted there players so badly that they traded their 1983 and 1985 first-round picks for the pair. Were they on to something? They sure won’t! Whitehead played only three games before the Cavaliers waived him a month later! Washington wasn’t much better, lasting 87 games in two seasons and averaging 9.1 points and 5.1 rebounds.

The Mavericks, on the other hand, reaped the rewards of the deal. The first pick conveyed in 1983 and was the 11th overall pick, where the Mavericks picked Derek Harper, a longtime starting point guard who made multiple All-Defensive teams. In 1987, the Mavs used the other pick to take Roy Tarpley seventh overall; he looked like a future star before substance abuse derailed his career.