In the aftermath of the blockbuster Isaiah Thomas trade, the Cleveland Cavaliers have been rendered unable to trade their prized Brooklyn Nets first-round pick until after the NBA Draft, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst
According to the Stepien Rule, teams can’t trade picks in back-to-back years, as they are forced to have at least one pick for this year.
The Cavs have exhausted their pick movement after trading Thomas, Channing Frye, and their own first-round pick in exchange for two young pieces in the Los Angeles Lakers’ Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr.
Cleveland has done the most work in a span of an hour, flipping nearly half of its roster prior to the deadline, thanks to three consecutive deals that landed Clarkson, Nance, George Hill, and Rodney Hood while shedding the likes of Thomas, Frye, Iman Shumpert, Jae Crowder, and Dwyane Wade.
The front office has turned it around with a plethora of much younger players that should help this team not only in the short run but should jell into a more stable unit in the future, whether LeBron James is there to witness it or not.
With a lack of picks to dole out in the immediate future, any further deals the organization makes would be comprised of 2019 and later selections, though it’s unlikely the front office pursues any more changes, with plenty of flux already in Tyronn Lue’s hands for the remaining 29 games of the season.
As the Cavs fly to Atlanta, there’s a lot of empty seats ensuing in this latest trade galore.