The Cleveland Cavaliers are now feeling the shockwaves of the Luka Doncic trade.
The shocking blockbuster conducted in the shadows to send a Top-5 player in the world against his will away from the only NBA home he has ever known, for a trade return that was both risky and paltry, certainly shocked the sports world. The Dallas Mavericks made an inexplicable decision to trade their 25-year-old superstar, and they are already facing the consequences as Anthony Davis, the centerpiece of the return, is set to miss multiple weeks with an abdominal injury and may require surgery.
Doncic is now on the Lakers, because of course he is; they are gift-wrapped a new superstar every half-decade. He joins LeBron James in giving the Lakers a pair of Top-15 players. Yet in the process, while everyone agrees the Lakers won the trade going away, it left them without a viable option at center.
GM Rob Pelinka appeared to have solved that problem at the Trade Deadline, trading a boatload of assets for Charlotte Hornets center Mark Williams. The third-year center is enormous and has both an excellent catch radius and great touch around the basket, making him an attractive offensive pairing for the lob-loving Luka Doncic.
The Lakers pulled out of a trade
As the Trade Deadline passed, it appeared that all of the activity and drama around the Luka Doncic trade would have a negligible effect directly on the Cleveland Cavaliers. But the story wasn't over; the soap opera connecting the Mavericks to the Lakers is now stretching out even further. Because Saturday night the news broke that the Lakers were pulling out of the Mark Williams trade.
When they conducted the physical on Williams, they found "multiple" items that concerned them. Often such a scenario would mean the Lakers ask the Hornets for one of their assets back or otherwise increased compensation to keep the deal on; because the Trade Deadline was already passed, that was not an option. The Lakers could either keep the deal or reject it, and they chose to reject it.
Los Angeles now has a superstar in his prime and a 40-year-old LeBron James still playing at an All-Star level. They have to do their best to put a competitive team around them, especially given their standing in fifth-place in the Western Conference. They are poised to make some noise down the stretch of the season.
Yet right now, they are forced to do so with a combination of Jaxson Hayes and Christian Koloko at center, which is hardly an encouraging duo. With the Trade Deadline in the rearview mirror, however, their only option to address the position is on the Buyout Market.
Where they will now be competing with the Cleveland Cavaliers for the top center options available.
The Lakers will be stealing the Cavaliers' targets
The options at center on the buyout market were already slim. Marvin Bagley III appears to be staying with the Memphis Grizzlies, while Alex Len decided to sign with the Indiana Pacers. Daniel Theis was the top option we highlighted coming out of the deadline, but there are rumors that he may sign overseas.
Who is left? Mo Bamba is a familiar name to the Lakers and could return there; is he any better than Hayes and Koloko? For that matter, is he definitively better than Tristan Thompson? There are not a lot of encouraging options to begin with, and now the competition for the Cavaliers is even stronger.
Cleveland could go a different route and sign a younger big man to develop behind Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. Orlando Robinson may be available after his 10-day contract with the Toronto Raptors expires. Mamadi Diakite has been with the Cavaliers before and has a connection to Ty Jerome and De'Andre Hunter from their Virginia days.
It was always going to be difficult for the Cavaliers to find a difference-maker as their third-string center; now the odds are even longer, as the Lakers can offer a large role to anyone worth signing on the buyout market. The Luka Doncic trade has truly affected every team in the league, and the Cavs are feeling the hit now in earnest.