The Cleveland Cavaliers have passed the eye test as the clear winners of the NBA trade deadline after stringing together three straight trades to rejuvenate the oldest team in the league.
Somehow, without using their most valuable asset — the Brooklyn Nets’ first-round pick — the Cavs were able to do a major overhaul, thanks to general manager Koby Altman’s ingenuity and drive to make it happen.
According to Jason Lloyd of The Athletic, the Cavs turned water into wine, yet somehow managed to leave the pitcher intact.
“The Cavs did well to flip their roster with limited resources,” wrote Lloyd. “They entered the trade deadline with essentially two appealing assets: their own first-round pick and Jae Crowder, who despite his struggles in Cleveland still held value because of his contract and the belief that he simply wasn’t a good fit here. (One more time: The Cavs were never strongly considering flipping the Brooklyn Nets pick.)”
One particular executive knew all along that Crowder wouldn’t work out in Cleveland due to being a system player, and with LeBron James running so much of the operation — there was very little “system” left under Tyronn Lue for him to thrive through.
Crowder is once again back in a coach-system under Quin Snyder with the Utah Jazz, and he has been immediately thriving as a plug-and-play three-and-D talent for the team, while the return pieces in George Hill, Rodney Hood, Jordan Clarkson, and Larry Nance Jr. have been an immediate firepower upgrade for the Cavs.