Isaiah Thomas goes to LAL
TO CAVALIERS: Jordan Clarkson, Larry Nance. TO LAKERS: Isaiah Thomas, Channing Frye, 2018 first-round pick
Woodcox: I’m admittedly a Larry Nance Jr. homer, but that aside I love this trade for the Cavs. Thomas wasn’t working in Cleveland (and I doubt he will be in LA past this year either) and I believe Nance will be a perfect fit in The Land as he does so many things to help his team win without demanding anything outside of his role. Clarkson was a good pick-up too and best of all for Cleveland is that they didn’t have to give up their Brooklyn pick to improve.
Keeffer: The fall from grace that the Cavaliers have experienced can be directly correlated to Isaiah Thomas’s return to action.
Updating this after Cleveland's loss to Orlando
— Andy Bailey (@AndrewDBailey) February 7, 2018
When Isaiah Thomas is on the floor
CLE scores 101.4 PTS per 100 possessions and allows 116.5 PTS per 100 possessions (-15.1 Net)
When Isaiah Thomas is off the floor
CLE scores 110.2 PTS/100 and allows 108.2 PTS/100 (+2 Net)
So yes, I love this trade for the Cavs. Not only did they get rid of Thomas, but they also brought in someone who can effectively create their own shot in Clarkson, and an exciting player in Larry Nance. If you are the Lakers, you also now have ample cap space to go after some big name players this offseason. If Thomas can somehow miraculously get healthy, this could be a steal for them. Especially if the Cavs continue to struggle, and that first-round pick is around 20.
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Thorpe: Part one of the mid-season Cleveland makeover. The Lakers should now be one of the most feared franchises heading into the 2018 and 2019 offseason. The Cavs get younger and longer, while unloading the cancer that has been Isaiah Thomas, but they may have cleared a path for LeBron to join the Lakers this offseason. In short, Cleveland wins for the remainder of the season, but LA’s future hasn’t looked quite this intriguing in years.
Padmore: This was probably the biggest trade that went down. It’s good for both sides, as I think Clarkson and Nance will fit well with LeBron James in Cleveland, particuarly Nance. Los Angeles, meanwhile, clears some cap space as they plan to chase multiple stars come free agency.
Aston: That sure was swell of the Cavaliers to help the Lakers clear cap space so they can steal LeBron James from them this summer. I’ve never seen such a selfess act from an NBA front office.