Just hours before this season’s NBA trade deadline, the Cleveland Cavaliers made sweeping changes to their roster, trading six players for four new faces. One of their deadline deals brought 25-year-old Larry Nance Jr. from the Los Angeles Lakers to Northeast Ohio, where he was born and raised. The 6-9 power forward recently sat down for an interview to discuss how the deal went down.
“We were playing the Thunder that night,” Nance Jr. tells HoopsHype.com. “Well, the Lakers were playing the Thunder that night, so I was getting ready to head to shootaround. It was about 9:15 a.m. Like everyone else, I was following Woj (Adrian Wojnarowski) and had the tweet notifications set up just in case and just to find out what kind of stuff was happening. I had just woke up and I was going to wash my face, when I got the update that the Cavs and Lakers were in serious trade talks. I thought, “Oh? I don’t know who that could involve, but we’ll see.” Not even 30 seconds later, I got a call from [Lakers general manager] Rob Pelinka and Luke [Walton] and Magic [Johnson] were in his office with him. They all broke the news to me and told me that I was going to Cleveland. That’s how it happened.”
Nance Jr. has made an immediate impact on both ends of the floor for the Cavs. Simply put, he has good size, runs the floor well, and dunks with authority. In his 44 games played this season, the former 27th overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft has turned in averages of 8.6 points on 59.3 percent shooting from the field, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.4 assists.
Nance Jr. has played in two games with the Cavs since being traded. His first appearance in a Wine and Gold uniform came in a 121-99 win over the Boston Celtics, where he scored five points, four rebounds, three assists, and one steal in 21 minutes of action. Not bad for his first run with a new team, right? The former University of Wyoming standout turned it up a notch in Tuesday night’s 120-112 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder, scoring 13 points, nine rebounds (eight offensive), two assists, three blocks, and one steal in 25 minutes of playing time.
Via Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype:
“It’s been great!,” Nance Jr. said of joining the Cavs. “It really has been great. On a team like Cleveland, everyone is completely focused on winning. When you have a player like LeBron James, winning is all that matters. And, look, I don’t have to worry about points, I don’t have to worry about rebounds, I don’t have to worry about assists. I don’t have to focus on stats. All I need to focus on is doing whatever I possibly can to help the team win. I just need to make winning plays — whether that’s getting offensive rebounds or playing lock-down defense or doing both. It makes things a lot easier when I can just focus on those things.”
Nance Jr. and the Cavs, winners in each of their last four games, will be back in action after this season’s All-Star break, as they’re scheduled to host the Washington Wizards on February 22. Tip-off is set for 8:00 p.m. EST with TNT having live broadcast coverage.
