Much praise was given to the Cleveland Cavaliers front office after pulling off three straight trades prior to the deadline in hopes to rejuvenate the oldest team in the league, but as the Cavs fell to the playoff-bubble L.A. Clippers 116-102 last night, it’s become evident what the team should have gotten instead.
Cleveland was tortured by a full-throttle DeAndre Jordan, who finished with a 20-points, 23-rebound effort (seven offensive boards), during his 34 minutes on the floor — a large reason for the 52-40 advantage on the glass.
Jordan was one of the first players linked to the Cavaliers, even before the trade deadline neared — a move that was being discussed with the possibility of landing him even in the last few hours of a ticking clock.
LeBron James admitted he was aware of the conversations, but would rather not dwell on the matter.
“I don’t play fantasy basketball,” James said, according to Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com. “I knew the conversations were going on from the outside. I seen it. If it would have happened it would have gave us a boost but it didn’t happen so you move on.”
As it became known later after the trades, James did have some level of input on the changes made, and getting a star like Jordan could have helped ease the burden on the glass, but also leave other aspects unattended.
Jordan has a $24.1 million player-option for next season — a price that might have proven too steep to pay for a team trying to keep James home.