Cleveland Cavaliers rookie Kevin Porter Jr. says the Cavs trading guard Jordan Clarkson to the Utah Jazz was “devastating.”
The Cavs and Jazz agreed to a trade literally minutes before Cleveland’s game against the Atlanta Hawks, giving Porter his first taste of the business side of the NBA:
“It was kind of devastating, but you know, you’ve got a game in two minutes,” Porter told Ryan Lewis of the Akron Beacon Journal. “You kind of just have to snap out of it. It was, for my first time, it was tough. The first three quarters, I kept thinking about it. It’s not a good feeling. But you gotta keep going, you gotta persevere.”
Porter relished the chance to play a bigger role in the game’s biggest moments. But being without Clarkson still left a mark.
“I like being in those moments. Only thing that doesn’t sit with me is my boy not being here,” Porter said. “Jordan helped me a lot and made my game easier for me. I was feeding off of him a lot. He’s shown me a lot, just how to really read the defense and pick them apart.”
The Cavs were able to stay composed despite the sudden trade. They defeated the Hawks to improve to 9-21 on the season.
Porter played 23 minutes and finished with 15 points, nine rebounds and one assist. The Cavs have won three straight and are 4-6 in their last 10 games.
Dante Exum will be heading to Cleveland. It will be interesting to see how he fits with the team since the Cavs already have Collin Sexton and Darius Garland on the roster.