Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
So, the Cleveland Cavaliers just blew up the entire squad in the span of about 90 minutes. Most notably, Cleveland shipped off Isaiah Thomas to the Los Angeles Lakers along with Channing Frye and a first-round pick (not the Brooklyn pick) for Jeremy Clarkson and Larry Nance, Jr. Dwyane Wade has also been traded to the Miami Heat for a protected second-round pick. And, in a three-team deal with Utah and Sacramento, Cleveland acquired George Hill and Rodney Hood in exchange for Derrick Rose (Utah), Jae Crowder (Utah), and Iman Shumpert (Sacramento). And there's also this:
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Who knows if they're done—the deadline officially ends at 3 PM—but even now, the team is unrecognizable from the squad that won an overtime thriller last night against the Timberwolves. The starting five for that team was:
- Jae Crowder
- LeBron James
- Tristan Thompson
- Isaiah Thomas
- J.R. Smith
- George Hill
- Rodney Hood
- LeBron James
- Larry Nance, Jr.
- Tristan Thompson
The Cavs had been embroiled in a shitstorm of public and private infighting, both amongst teammates and between LeBron and the front office. We haven't heard from him yet (other than to wish Wade well), but the team infighting seems to be nipped in the bud since, like, no one is left.Update (obviously): It appears the Cavs intend to bring Kendrick Perkins back into the fold.
Perkins started the season in training camp with Cleveland, but was soon relegated to the Cavs' G-League affiliate, the Canton Charge.