2018 NBA trade deadline: How the Cavaliers deals shook up the fantasy landscape

2018 NBA trade deadline: How the Cavaliers deals shook up the fantasy landscape

We all knew that the Cleveland Cavaliers weren’t going to be quiet at the trade deadline. They were linked to every big name rumored to be available leading up to Thursday’s deadline, so their actual haul almost seems anticlimactic.

Cleveland has been linked to George Hill for weeks, so that one was no big surprise. The real surprise here was Cleveland dealing six players, four of which were in the midst of their first season with the team.

The whole deal with landing Hill had to involve a third team. The Kings has no interest in getting older without getting expiring contracts. The first part of the deal was as follows:

This gave the Cavs the last piece towards Hill. That deal looked like this:

So the Cavs got Rodney Hood and George Hill, both of whom will play a large role on this team. Hill can defend both guard slots which has been a sore spot for Cleveland all year. If you want to know the exact impact, just look at the Kings-Blazers game last night. Without Hill around, Damian Lillard dropped a 50 spot on the Kings!

Hood is also a solid defender who can put up points in a hurry. I would expect both to start because of their defensive chops. This move will help Hill’s fantasy value quite a bit. I don’t know that he is standard points league material yet, but I would add Hill if you need a boost in defensive stats. I see his points going down here, but his assists could go up a touch.

Hood became expendable with the emergence of Donovan Mitchell. I don’t think that Hood will keep up his 16.8 points per game average. He may in the short term with Love out. If he does, I would use that opportunity to try and sell high. Hood doesn’t offer much more than points and good free throw shooting.

The Kings don’t gain much for assets here. Iman Shumpert and Joe Johnson don’t figure into the team’s long term plans. The team was just taking on expiring contracts so they could give chase to some marquee free agents next year to add to their core.

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I would venture to say that Shumpert and Johnson were only owned in the deepest of leagues. They can likely even be dropped there after this deal. Neither is going to play much, if at all, for the Kings.

Joe Johnson is expected to be bought out. If that happens, expect a contender like Boston or Toronto to come knocking. Johnson wont have much value there either, but it could be more than in Utah.

At least the Jazz got pieces they can use. I would expect Jae Crowder to come off the bench behind Derrick Favors and Joe Ingles. However, if Crowder plays like he did last year in Boston, there is a chance that he can at least earn a share of the starting job at small forward against teams with size. I would expect Crowder’s value to be slightly higher than it was in Cleveland. He is still not standard point league material, but he is worth a prospective add in league with deep rosters or 12 or more teams.

Derrick Rose wouldn’t  have much of an impact on this guard-heavy team, so it is expected that he will be released by the Jazz. As to his next stop, it’s anyone’s guess. Does he go home to Chicago? Does he go to his college stomping ground of Memphis? Both could use him!

The first deal came down a couple of hours before the deadline with perhaps the most surprising move. Isaiah Thomas, who recently criticized the team and coaches for how they reacted when things were going poorly, was shipped out less than a month after he made his debut for the team. Here is the deal:

The Cavs actively started shopping Thomas after those comments were made to the press on Tuesday. It didn’t take long to find a suitor. For Thomas personally, this has been quite a journey. From the last pick in the draft to a clutch star for the Celtics to a piece to a championship team in Cleveland to Lonzo Ball‘s backup. All within about three years. Most within in the last year.

It remains to be seen how Cleveland will use Clarkson. Clarkson played mostly off the bench, but he had a few really good starts immediately after Lonzo Ball went down. I tend to think that Cleveland will keep Clarkson in a high energy bench role. His numbers likely wont change much. If you were relying on him for scoring in L.A., he should be able to do the same for you in Cleveland.

This move could be a good thing for owners of Larry Nance. I don’t see Nance as a standard league staple yet, but he is certainly worth keeping an eye on. With both Crowder and Frye gone and Kevin Love out, there is immediate minutes available for Nance right away.

I don’t see Jeff Green starting over Nance long term, so Nance is worth an add in most leagues. He is a solid rebounder and contributes decent numbers across the board. Nance should have no issues playing more than the 22 minutes per game that he averaged with the Lakers.

I would send out a few feelers to Nance owners. If you can get him for market price right now, I would take that deal. Be careful not to overpay. The potential is there, but nothing is guaranteed.

The wild card in all of these deals is Isaiah Thomas. Both he and Lonzo Ball play the point, and neither has played off the ball much, if at all.

This is cut and dry until Ball returns. Thomas should start at the point over Josh Hart. I see his value increasing by quite a bit just upon arrival in Los Angeles. He was never a good fit for Cleveland. I expect his numbers, especially the scoring, to pick up quite a bit in the short term.

If you want to target Thomas in a trade, just be aware that once Lonzo Ball returns, this becomes a convoluted situation. Coach Luke Walton has said that he will run the offense with both on the floor, but who brings the ball up? Lonzo Ball has the body to play off the ball, but he is a much better passer than Thomas. Thomas is also the more prolific scorer.

I still like this for Thomas’s overall fantasy value. He likely wont be a Laker next year, but this could be fun to watch over the next couple of months. If you can get Thomas at closer to this year’s numbers than paying for last year’s, I would do it.

If you were relying on Channing Frye in Cleveland, chances are it was for triples and maybe blocks. His role should be about the same in L.A. He may even get a few more minutes if he becomes the backup to Brook Lopez. If you were currently using Frye, I don’t see his value decreasing.

You may be reading this wondering who the sixth player was that the Cavs dealt and what they got for him. The Cavs dealt Dwyane Wade back to Miami. Here is that deal:

I don’t really see this trade having a huge impact on Wade’s value. He will likely come off the bench, and the Heat are already loaded at the guard spot. Wade did play 22 minutes in his first game back in Miami last night. This is about what you are going to see from him going forward. If you need points, he is worth grabbing in deep leagues.

The great part about this deal is that it is about Cleveland doing the right thing. Wade always wanted to return to Miami to retire with the team that he starred with. Cleveland just gave him that chance, along with the chance to contribute to one more playoff run.

Next: How will Mirotic do in New Orleans?

So essentially, the Cavaliers traded Kyrie Irving and a first round pick for Jordan Clarkson, George Hill, and Larry Nance. Stay tuned to Fantasy CPR for the rest of the trade breakdowns, and all of your DFS needs!