With great pressure from the fans, the media, and the possibility of the team’s heart and soul, LeBron James, leaving via free agency this summer, Cleveland Cavaliers General Manager Koby Altman made some bold moves to shake up the roster.
By the time the trade deadline had passed, Altman had pulled off a couple of separate trades that resulted in letting six players go, not including the team’s protected first-round pick, but also brought in former Lakers Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr. as well as former Jazz players Rodney Hood and George Hill. In addition to the four players, Cleveland also received a protected 2020 second-round pick.
In a conference call with reporters on Thursday night, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com reports that Altman said the team had two goals to achieve at the trade deadline.
In his article Thursday, Fedor also quoted the Cavs GM in praising two of his hot-named pick-ups:
“Jordan and Larry add athleticism, energy and length to both ends of the court for us… This trade is also a reflection of our continuing commitment to invest in our roster in ways that help us evolve and compete at the highest level now and into the future.”
While the results are still to be determined, getting younger and changing the culture was indeed done in all of the wheeling and dealing. Hood, Clarkson, and Nance Jr., are all 25-year-olds that bring a mixture of offense, athleticism, youth to the usually-lethargic energy of the Cavs this season. Prior to the trades, the Cavaliers are also the oldest team in the league, as they had an average age of 31.3 .
Hood and Clarkson, in particular, will be the key men offensively. Through 39 games with the Utah Jazz, the former is averaging a career-best 16.8 points per game this season, while the latter had a team-leading 22.1 points per game per 36 minutes for the Los Angeles Lakers.
The oldest in the four new Cavaliers, meanwhile, 10-year veteran George Hill, will be mostly expected to add defense and leadership.