Sometimes, the best thing a team can do may be nothing at all.
After a hectic trade deadline that saw a flurry of players and second-round picks find new teams, the Cleveland Cavaliers chose to stand pat at the NBA trade deadline.
Cavs President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman offered an explanation on why the Cavs didn’t pull the trigger on any trades at the NBA trade deadline, Right Down Euclid Editor in Chief Evan Dammarell wrote in a Thursday tweet.
“From a trade standpoint, we just didn’t feel anything that could move the needle for us,” Altman said. “We could’ve made multiple moves that were lateral that didn’t really make us better.
“It’s not easy for me. You know I’m volume heavy. But, I had to take a step back and see where we are.”
The Cavaliers owned a 35-22 record before the trade deadline frenzy on Thursday, jumping over the Brooklyn Nets for fourth place in the Eastern Conference while sitting at one game behind the Philadelphia 76ers for third. Cleveland had the exact same record after 57 games last season, moving to 35-22 after a 10-point loss to the 76ers in the Wells Fargo Center last February, according to Basketball Reference.
The Cavs still possess the highest defensive rating in the league and one of its youngest starting lineups. Cleveland’s starting five features a 23-year-old Darius Garland, a 22-year-old Isaac Okoro, a 21-year-old Evan Mobley and a 24-year-old Jarrett Allen, a point Altman went over with Cavs media on Thursday.
“We have the second youngest starting lineup in the NBA,” Altman said. “We have to go through those experiences.
“We have to go into a playoff series and know what that feels like. That’s the growth. That’s the maturation.”
The Cavs will tip off against the New Orleans Pelicans at 10 p.m. EST on Friday in the Smoothie King Center. The game will be broadcasted on ESPN and Bally Sports Ohio.