It was an interesting move that the Cavs pulled off just moments after "Famous" Jameis Winston threw the game-winning pass to 6'5" receiver Kelvin Benjamin at the Rose Bowl over Iron Bowl hero Chris Davis, Jr.
Real GM's Shams Charania broke the news, although it got the major traction when Brian Windhorst revealed the details. Brian did acknowledge Shams' break.
Hat tip to @ShamsCharania, looks like he got the Deng news out just before I did.
Chris Grant sends the Sacramento pick, and the two second round Portland picks to Chicago, along with the contract of Andrew Bynum, for Luol Deng. They also give the Bulls chance to swap picks, provided that Cleveland makes the playoffs next season.
This clearly is a step back for Chicago Bulls and the man who made the deal, GM Gar Forman. They are expected to waive Bynum before the guaranteed money kicks in, which allows them to escape the luxury tax. And before we dig in on the first rounder of Sacramento, here are the regulations with regards to that pick the Cavs acquired along with Omri Casspi in exchange for JJ Hickson back in 2011:
Top 12-protection in 2014, top 10-protection in 2015-17, else 2017 second round pick (protected 56-60) (c/o Pro Sports Transcations)Basically, the Kings have to show signs of improvement within the next three years. And based from the behavior of Vivek Ranadive and his ownership of the franchise, that will be the case, especially with the new arena they are talking up.
However, I want to delve into what this means for Cleveland.
1. Deng and leadership. Grant said so himself, "Luol reflects all that we are striving for in building our team. He’s a tremendous defensive player that can impact the game on both ends of the court with a team-first mentality and is a high character leader". Consider who he was traded for. Andrew Bynum basically got paid to stay away from the team. Quite a 180, if you ask me.
2. Deng gets his just due. Y!'s Woj tweeted, then wrote that Luol declined a 3-year $30 million extension offer from Chicago. Seems that the bridge has been burned ever since the whole spinal tap issue took place. He thinks he can get J-Smoove money, and the Cavs, if they don't nab a certain Akron native, will be more than happy to give that $$$$ to someone.
3. Deng improves rotation. The Cavs need a small forward whom can plug in for 35 minutes. The ones they are trotting out aren't exactly cutting it. CJ Miles? Alonzo Gee? Earl Clark? Anthony Bennett? Deng fills that hole instantly. He also might be able to play small ball PF on some situations. It also pretty much says, let's abort the Bennett experiment at the SF.
4. Deng gives them a chance in the postseason. Seeds 3-8 in the East is in flux. Anybody can snag it. The gap between third-place Atlanta and 14th place Orlando is 7.5 games as of the moment, and the Magic are just four games behind Detroit for the 8th spot. Cleveland is in 13th with a 11-23 record, with what might be an easy stretch (host the Sixers, then go on a road trip against the Jazz, Kings, Lakers, Blazers (whom they lost on a Lillard walkoff at the Q), and Nuggets, before hosting the Mavericks. As long as they do not finish in 7th or 8th, they may find themselves some luck and make it to the 2nd round. Oh, after their game against Dallas, they host Chicago at the Q.
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