The Cleveland Cavaliers opened the flood gates for the final stretch ahead of the February 4 NBA trade deadline.
Dealing De'Andre Hunter to the Sacramento Kings in a three-team deal, Cleveland acquired Dennis Schroder and Keon Ellis. Schroder is a veteran point guard, and while imperfect, has contributed to numerous winning franchises. His physical defense and gritty attitude could be an ideal mental presence that the Cavs have lacked this season.
Ellis, a 26-year-old wing, resolves the Cavs' need for a point-of-attack defender who can take on the hardest defensive assignment on any given night. Cleveland had desperately missed Isaac Okoro's perimeter defense this season after trading him for Lonzo Ball in the summer. Ellis provides a 3-and-D solution, defending at a high level and shooting 36.8 percent on three-pointers this season.
Adding two backcourt depth pieces leaves the Cavaliers' guard rotation overcrowded with an obvious solution. Schroder's arrival only further pushes Lonzo out the door as the former Bulls guard has fallen out of the nightly rotation when the team is healthy.
The Cavaliers will trade Lonzo Ball before the deadline
The idea of Lonzo Ball as the bench leader and backup playmaking guard to Darius Garland should have been a match made in basketball heaven. Ball is a tall, defensive guard with terrific court vision and decisive passing. His scoring may have never reached the superstar levels expected of him when he was drafted second overall, but he had crafted himself into a reliable veteran leader.
Unfortunately, Lonzo's Cavs tenure is almost certain to be cut short. He is arguably the worst rotation player in the NBA right now, shooting 29.9 percent from the field and 26.9 percent from deep. His passing and defense have held up, but opposing teams pay no attention to him and instead double team the ball whenever Lonzo is on the court.
In the same report from Michael Scotto that detailed the now-official Hunter trade, Scotto noted Cleveland's interest in moving on from Lonzo.
"After HoopsHype reported three days ago that [De'Andre] Hunter and Lonzo Ball were potential trade candidates, the Washington Wizards are among the teams that have checked in on Ball, HoopsHype has learned. The Wizards have been open to being incentivized with draft pick compensation to use their nearly $30 million in luxury tax room space and traded player exceptions for teams needing to dump salary..."Michael Scotto
With Schroder and Ellis now in wine and gold, Cleveland has outgrown the need for Lonzo only months after acquiring him. In a hypothetical framework with the Washington Wizards, the Cavs could send Lonzo and second-round draft capital to Washington for nothing more than draft rights to an international player unlikely ever to reach the NBA.
A pure salary dump for the Cavs would not only clear Lonzo off the books, but it could create a Traded Player Exception Cleveland could use in another deal. Otherwise, the Cavaliers will likely use that new open roster spot to sign Nae'Qwan Tomlin to a standard contract.
Other teams with cap space to absorb Lonzo's contract include the Brooklyn Nets and Utah Jazz.
Whether Lonzo is traded for nothing or very little, the Cleveland Cavaliers seem only to be getting started with the deadline days away. As the team fights to continue turning the season around after a rough start, the coming trade deadline might be their best opportunity to solidify their playoff positioning.