Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports
Trades without a clear sense of purpose aren’t as common as they used to be; gone are the early 2000’s, when mediocre players with mega-deals were shuttled around on a regular basis (usually to and from the New York Knicks). These days, the majority of transactions fall into a few easily recognizable genres, like the star forcing his way out or the deadline expiring dump. Monday’s Dion Waiters highlighted deal feels like a recall to an old favorite — the exchange of one’s problems.
The Cavaliers’ issues with Waiters were well-documented even before LeBron James announced his Cleveland return. Perhaps it’s just more accurate to say that Waiters himself is well-documented; his proclamation that he and Kyrie Irving were the best backcourt pairing in the league is, unfortunately, his most noteworthy moment this season.
A number of issues have bogged down the Cavaliers’ offense, ranging from the implementation of new, major pieces to the initial struggle of a longtime European coach, but Waiters’ willfully blind approach to team concepts ranks near the top. Consider that the Cavaliers are so convinced of Waiters’ toxicity that they are willing to bring in J.R. Smith as part of the transaction. In a situation that is screaming for stability — and most definitely frontcourt help — the Cavs used their biggest (seemingly) available trade chip to bring in a total wild card, Iman Shumpert and a moderately protected pick. That’s not a bad haul by any stretch, but it seems to ignore the fundamental flaws with Cleveland’s roster composition. Letting Waiters go before finding an alternative to Anderson Varejao is a huge risk, and David Griffin has a lot of work left to do if the Cavs are to make some noise in the East this year.
In the land of No Luxury Tax, the Oklahoma City Thunder decided that acquiring another iso-heavy offensive player would be the cure-all for their oft-stagnating offense. Acquiring the most-talented player on paper without giving up a ton is a defensible strategy on paper, and they aren’t the first team to think, “Well, maybe we can get through to this guy.” To be great, sometimes you must be greedy, and the Thunder are betting that they can bring out Dion’s best in a more established environment with a clear-cut pecking order.
The apparent justification, however, begs questioning:
With McGary and Huestis, Thunder didn't believe it would have roster spot available for a 1st-round pick in 2015. Made deal even easier.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 6, 2015
The reasoning is reminiscent, though far from identical to when Billy King justified trading a top-three protected first for Gerald Wallace by claiming the Nets only liked three players in that season’s draft. Dressing this up as “not having a spot available” while invoking Josh Huestis’ name is downright hilarious given the onus behind his selection. Oklahoma City can swap out Waiters for Jackson in their sixth man spot without having to pony up in restricted free agency this summer, maintaining control of Waiters’ rights for another two and a half seasons. It’s a potentially shrewd maneuver, but it just feels like a slimy attempt to duck the tax going forward.
To Phil Jackson’s credit, he was able to dump J.R. Smith and clear cap room without taking on anyone else’s problems, largely because the Knicks accepted a return that provides them with no immediate benefit. They are firmly entrenched near the bottom of the standings, and this deal could be a sign that Carmelo Anthony will indeed take some time off to protect his knee from lasting damage. It’s a refreshing change of pace from their usual course of trying to make huge splashes or slapping band-aids on gunshot wounds.
But this is a script we’ve all read before. Perhaps under Jackson the Knicks will use gobs of cap space in smaller increments, acquiring pieces that supplement the talents of Anthony. There’s just not a ton of recent evidence that suggests the franchise will remain patient (or rational) while owned by James Dolan, and cap space is only as valuable as the players you can turn it into. Given the amount of reported Shumpert swaps that have been reported the last few years, it’s also a bitter pill to swallow that he ended up as the sweetener to shed Smith’s contract.
As with any trade, time will have to pass before we can get a sense of what this all means for each of the franchises involved. On first glance, though, it just feels like a deal for the sake of making one.
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