The Cleveland Cavaliers have done what many expected them to do ahead of the 2019 Trade Deadline - shed Alec Burks’ salary in exchange for a first-round pick and bad money. That has been accomplished. Cleveland will send Alec Burks to the Kings, and Rockets send Brandon Knight, Marquese Chriss and a protected first to Cavaliers, sources tell ESPN. — Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 7, 2019 That first-rounder is lottery protected, but the Cavaliers get a major win in adding a second first-rounder to their draft stores. In exchange, they pay a hefty price. Brandon Knight is owed $15 million next season, but ultimately, the only way they’ll feel that pain is in Dan Gilbert’s pocketbook. In the deal, the Rockets are getting ex-Cav Iman Shumpert. Marquese Chriss is conceivably a good asset after being selected No. 8 overall by the Phoenix Suns in 2016, but he’s been so disappointing in his early career that the Rockets declined his team option. He likely won’t spend time with the Cavaliers past this season for multiple reasons. The Cavaliers are sending out a second rounder in the deal as well, but for the price of a 2019 first-rounder, it’s an easy price to pay. The Cavaliers had added six second rounders since the season started via trade, and this kind of deal is why you work to add them. Those picks are excellent wheel-greasers to get trades done, and that’s on display here. The Cavaliers have now added two first-rounders and five second-round picks this season, at the low cost of George Hill, Kyle Korver, Rodney Hood and Sam Dekker. Koby Altman’s early tenure has been shaky, but his asset acquisition phase has gone quite nicely. The hard part is turning those assets into a winner. Let’s see how the Cavaliers do. Recently acquired Nik Stauskas and Wade Baldwin are headed to the Rockets in the deal. Everybody send your condolences to Justin Rowan.<doc-sep>The Cleveland Cavaliers had a successful trade deadline for their goals. Using packages of their clear trade chips — Rodney Hood and Alec Burks — the Cavs were able to pull away a couple of young pieces in Marquese Chriss and Nik Stauskas (until they flipped the latter), and gained a couple of future second-round picks. The most coveted return piece was a lottery protected 2019 first-round pick from the Houston Rockets from the Burks trade, which is almost guaranteed to convey given that the Rockets are four full games up on the Kings in the Western Conference standings. Having two first-round draft picks in a draft is great for a rebuilding team because it’s another lottery ticket in the quest to assemble key core pieces that can help push the team out of the cellar. While their own pick is more important — getting the chance to take the players perceived as potential stars is preferable to sifting through projects and probable role players — the second pick can end up being just as valuable if used on a player who your culture and development system can draw the most out of. In rare cases it can be an effective hedge against missing on an earlier pick — like Portland landing Nicolas Batum covering for taking Jerryd Bayless earlier in the 2008 NBA Draft — but more importantly, the supplemental picks end up being just as important to winning as the big names. You need the star to drive your offense and defense, but you need the role players to execute the secondary and tertiary decisions and plays. And with the sliding salary scale, unearthing a cost-controlled role player hat can help the team play consistent strong basketball is huge. It’s especially huge in the 2019 NBA Draft, which is a class that does not have much in the way of fundamental agreement about who to value. The draft class gets a bad rap for being weak, but what it really is is light at the top. The list of players worth a top-five pick in a vacuum probably stops at two for the consensus — R.J. Barrett and Zion Williamson, and the number of players in this class who would have been top-ten picks last year probably ends after those two as well. But the middle class of the 2019 draft is actually quite large — there are probably 20 players outside of the top two that you could argue as potential lottery guys, and not every one of those guys are going to be rated equally by NBA teams. That puts the Cavs in a pretty good spot even if the Houston pick ends up in the 24-27 range. Someone good is going to fall based on how different teams value these mid-tier guys, and there’s a lot of players available who can help this team. In particular, the draft is heavy on one of the Cavs’ biggest need areas: wings who can handle, make good decisions and defend up to the four in small-ball lineups. They come in different shapes and sizes, of course, but the list of talented players who could slot at the two or three next to the Cavs’ current core pieces is a pretty long one. Want to go all in on athleticism and scoring potential? The Cavs could get Kevin Porter Jr. to land with them, or reach a bit for Luguentz Dort. How about high-IQ skill guys? Ignas Brazdeikis of Michigan could make sense. Defensive menaces Josh Reaves and Matisse Thybulle could relieve Collin Sexton of point of attack duty on defense. Or, they could try out Jae Crowder again —but with better awareness and ball handling ability — in Tennessee’s Grant Williams. Not all of these guys are great fits for the Cavs’ roster, and it’s far from a sure thing that they all work out, or even that they all come out for the 2019 NBA Draft. However, the Cavs now have options for how to use a pick, something they arguably haven’t had since the 2013 Draft when they landed Sergey Karasev at No. 19. When you’re chasing a title, you need a specific type of player that can provide impact right away from your draft picks, or you really need those draft picks to be veterans, instead. When you only have a top pick, it feels like you have a lot more options, but you don’t always do — there’s pressure from fans and media to go with the consensus top player, and there are really only a few players to reasonably choose from, and then you have to force that player into what you want your team to be. Picking in the middle allows you to really do your homework and find an ideal player for your roster, and reaching is more okay. The prerequisite of making a good pick is doing your homework and having a plan. We still don’t have great evidence that the Cavs will do either. But if they do, there’s a lot of value that this pick could end up bringing.<doc-sep>CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland Cavaliers have agreed to a three-team deal that sends Alec Burks to the Sacramento Kings in exchange for Houston Rockets guard Brandon Knight, power forward Marquese Chriss and a 2019 first-round pick, league sources told cleveland.com Wednesday night. The 2019 first-rounder is lottery protected, according to a source. In the deal, Burks will go to Sacramento while Houston receives Iman Shumpert from the Kings and both Nik Stauskas and Wade Baldwin -- two players recently added in the Rodney Hood deal -- from Cleveland. The Rockets had been dangling a first-round pick to get out from under Knight's hefty contract for the last week and the Cavaliers, with approval from chairman Dan Gilbert, were always willing to take on money beyond this year provided it came with an asset. The Cavs are "thrilled" about their haul for Burks, according to one member of the organization who spoke with cleveland.com about the deal. Internally, the Cavs were always hoping to net a first-rounder for Burks, whose expiring contract and recent play, made him a valuable commodity on the trade market. Knight, a 2011 first-round pick, has played in just 12 games with the Rockets this season, coming back slowly following knee surgery that cost him the entire 2017-18 season. He is averaging 3.0 points in 9.8 minutes. Chriss recently asked for a trade, hoping to find a place where he could get more playing time. Buried on Houston's depth chart, Chriss has only received double-digit minutes in three games this season. During the run-up to the NBA trade deadline, which is Thursday afternoon at 3 p.m., the Cavs have added six second-round picks and two first-rounders in separate trades for Kyle Korver, George Hill, Sam Dekker, Hood and Burks -- five players who didn't fit in Cleveland's long-term plans. The Cavs originally acquired Burks from the Utah Jazz in exchange for Korver on Nov. 28. When the dust settles, the Cavs will have received a first-round pick and a pair of seconds for Korver.<doc-sep>Having LeBron James makes having normal operations hard, as they were for Cavs by Corey Casey The Cleveland Cavaliers reportedly agreed to a three-team deal with the Houston Rockets and Sacramento Kings that sends Alec Burks to Sacramento, and the key part of the deal for Cleveland was the first-round pick they received. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Cleveland Cavaliers agreed to a three-team trade with the Houston Rockets and Sacramento Kings. Cleveland sent Alec Burks to the Kings, and sent the recently-acquired (via the recently reported Rodney Hood trade to the Portland Trail Blazers, per Wojnarowski) Nik Stauskas and Wade Baldwin IV to the Rockets, along with a 2021 second-round pick (via Milwaukee, the Cavs announced). Stauskas and Baldwin would soon after be traded to the Indiana Pacers by Houston in exchange for a Rockets’ second-round pick, and of course, the Pacers would soon after follow that up by waiving Stauskas and Baldwin (both per Wojnarowski). In return, the Cavs received Brandon Knight, Marquese Chriss, a lottery-protected 2019 first-round pick and a 2022 second-round pick (per the Cavs’ announcement) from Houston. The Kings sent Iman Shumpert to the Rockets, and Houston sent Sacramento a 2020 second-round pick in exchange (again, per the Cavs’ announcement). Clearly, this deal is not about the players Cleveland received, though. The Cavs are essentially taking on Knight’s deal (he’s due to make over $30 million for this season and next, per Spotrac) in order to grab Houston’s lottery-protected first-round pick this year and the 2022 second-rounder. I like the gamble because Houston is trying to make the postseason with James Harden going on a historic scoring tear. It’s unlikely they’ll miss the postseason this year. The Cleveland Cavaliers will have two first-round picks this year, including the potential number one overall pick. With this Houston pick, the Cavs can go a couple of ways with it. They can try to find a diamond in the rough in the late first round or they can use it in another trade on draft night. I think they’ll draft someone but I wouldn’t count out the possibility that they trade it, either. They also get Chriss in return. I’m a little down on Chriss as a player; he’s posted just 1.8 points and 1.8 rebounds in 6.5 minutes per game this season, and realistically, lost his spot in the Rockets’ rotation. He didn’t show a lot in his time with the Suns, either, as he’s a player that has not shown signs of any shooting consistency. In his rookie season with the Suns, he showed that he could possibly be a rim-runner with the ability to shoot the occasional three-pointer (32.1 percent, per Basketball Reference). He’s regressed a lot since his rookie year and he had a nightmarish second year with the Suns. Now, he’s barely played this year. We’ll see if he brings any value at all in the next few months, or if he was just included as an expiring contract (per Spotrac) throw-in. I wouldn’t expect him to put up numbers with the Cleveland Cavaliers. I do expect him to get a lot of playing time, though, considering he’s only 21, and the Cavs aren’t focused on winning, plus it wouldn’t be shocking if they moved a big such as John Henson. I also don’t expect a lot from Knight. Aside from his embarrassing moments as a player, he can be a solid guard when he’s healthy. He missed all of last year and he’s only played 12 games this year, per NBA.com. I wouldn’t expect anything big from him this year because he’s just coming back from his reported ACL injury in the summer of 2017. He’s not going to be 100 percent until next season. He’s got one more season on his deal, as he’s set to make over $15 million. I think he’ll put up some decent numbers next season. If he’s productive next year, he can be a valuable trade piece at the 2020 deadline. Want your voice heard? Join the King James Gospel team! Write for us! You might be able to somehow grab another first-round pick for him around this time next year if Cleveland is willing to absorb more salary and Knight can provide similar numbers to his career averages of 14.9 points and 4.2 assists per game.<doc-sep>
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland Cavaliers keep trading for the future, and the draft: 1. In the last few days, the Cavaliers have turned Rodney Hood and Alec Burks into a lottery protected 2019 first-round pick from Houston, and a pair of future second-round picks from Portland. That’s the bottom line on the Cavs’ two most recent deals. 2. As I wrote earlier in the week, sending Hood to Portland made sense. He was heading to free agency. He was rather passive and inconsistent with the Cavs. He had turned down a three-year, $20 million offer to stay with the team last summer. Receiving a pair of second-round picks from the Blazers was a respectable return. 3. Burks was different. Burks was respected by the Cavs coaches and players. Burks came to the team early in the season from Utah. He played hard for the Cavs, knowing he could be traded near the deadline. 4. Burks became a starter, averaging 11.6 points and 5.5 rebounds in 29 minutes a game. He shot 40 percent from the field, 38 percent on 3-pointers. The front office thought the 27-year-old was a classy pro while with the team. It’s possible the Cavs could look at him in the free agent market in the summer on a reasonable contract. 5. So why trade Burks? He’s going to be a free agent at the end of the season. His $11.5 million contract is “expiring,” meaning it helps the team with a salary cap problem. From the Cavs’ point of view, they turned him into Houston’s first-round pick in 2019. It’s “lottery protected,” but odds are Houston will make the playoffs. 6. So, the Cavs will have their own first-round pick plus Houston’s in 2019. That’s how to begin an infusion of young talent. 7. Owner Dan Gilbert deserves credit for spending money to bring these draft choices here. The Cavs opened the trading season by sending Kyle Korver ($7.5 million) to Utah for Burks ($11.5 million) and a pair of second-round picks. They used Burks to add a first-round pick, but they also picked up the contract of Brandon Knight ($15 million). 8. So, they added about $8 million in salary from Korver/Burks/Knight to pick up those two second-rounders and the first-rounder. They also took on Knight’s $15.6 million contract for 2019-20. 9. When they traded George Hill to Milwaukee for Matthew Dellavedova, John Henson and a future first-round pick, they added $20 million in salary for 2019-20 (the contracts of Henson and Delly). The Cavs also added a pair of second-round picks. 10. The Cavs actually are “buying” draft picks by taking on “bad contracts” from other teams. Houston desperately wanted to dump Knight. The Cavs desperately wanted a first-rounder in 2019. They worked it out. 11. Actually, this was a three-way trade. Burks went to Sacramento. The Kings sent Iman Shumpert to Houston. Yes, it’s THAT Iman Shumpert, who was on the Cavs 2016 title team. Shumpert was averaging 8.9 points for the Kings. 12. Shumpert received a bloated four-year, $40 million deal from former General Manager David Griffin right after the 2016 title run. He was a disappointment with the Cavs after that. He was traded to Sacramento a year ago and is in the final year of his contract. 13. These trades are confusing: In Sunday’s deal for Hood, the Cavs also received Nik Stauskas and Wade Baldwin from Portland. They never played the for the Cavs. They were shipped to Houston 48 hours later. 14. The Cavs have changed dramatically from trading draft picks in the LeBron James Era to adding them after he left for the Lakers in July of 2018. 15. The Cavs also have Marqueese Chriss and Knight on the roster, but neither player figures in their long-term plans. All of this is about the draft picks – the total is two first-rounders and six second-rounders since the regular season opened.