With less than a month to go before the 2022 NBA trading deadline (Feb. 10), there won't be much trading activity in the 2021-22 regular season.
Only three deals have been successful since Oct. 6, and while the Cleveland Cavaliers acquired Rondo to replace injured guard Rubio, at least one team has been involved in all three deals. Rondo's deal helped cut the Los Angeles Lakers' luxury tax bill.
Most players were hit hard in December by entering a COVID-19 health and safety protocol, hampering any major deal activity and proposals. So with the Feb. 10 deadline, will that change?
ESPN interviewed team executives pre-approval: "We're likely to see a lot of trading activity in February because the free agent level in July was weaker than usual, and the league-wide teams lacked salary cap space to pursue these free agents. ”
Here's ESPN correspondent Bob Max' analysis of the Cleveland Cavaliers' deal:
Highlights: Bench depth, first-round picks and Colin Sexton
Recent deals: As part of a successful three-team deal, the Cavaliers acquired Rajan Rondo from the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Denzel Valentine.
For the first time in the post-LeBron James era, the Cavaliers did not actively seek to get rid of the draft pick contract, but instead wanted to improve the lineup by the deadline.
While the core players (Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen) shouldn't be listed as trade-deals, the Cavaliers do have $10.4 million in salary space, with Cheddy Osman and Dylan Wendler, as well as former draft pick Colin Sexton, all of which can be sent off in a negotiated deal.
With three years left on his contract (the last year is not guaranteed), Osman hit a career-high 41 percent three-year shooting percentage this season.
Sexton missed this season with a knee injury, but despite this, he could have significant deal value. Sexton will be a restricted free agent this summer, and any team that acquires him through a deal will have the ability to give him a qualifying offer that would entitle him to match any offer. The team will also get his Bird rights, which means he could re-sign him beyond the offer cap.
The Cavaliers are also one of the few teams that can still get all the first-round picks over the next seven years.
One thing to watch out for is the Cavaliers' luxury tax situation. The Cavaliers are $3.3 million below the league's luxury tax threshold this season.
Cavaliers' top-level front-of-the-line deal deadline history shows that Manager Corbier Altman has been positive in the regular season, making 12 trades since taking over in 2017.
Impact of the deal: The Cleveland Cavaliers were one of the winners in the four-team, seven-player trade in which James Harden was sent to the Brooklyn Nets; the Cavaliers sent the 2022 first-round pick (acquired through the Milwaukee Bucks trade) to Houston and acquired center Jarrett Allen from the Brooklyn Nets.
(March 25, 2021) Cavaliers' last successful regular-season trade: trade javier McKee to Denver in exchange for Isaiah Haltenstein and two future second-round picks.
The deal we want to see: Richie Rubio and the 2022 Draft Lotto-protected first-round pick to Houston in exchange for Eric Gordon.
Cleveland Cavaliers Trading Limits/Notes:
1. The Cavaliers are $9.7 million lower than the NBA hard salary cap cap and $3.3 million lower than the luxury tax cap, suggesting that the Cavaliers could theoretically sign another All-Star or even a superstar.
2. Cleveland has trade exceptions of $4.3 million, $1.8 million and $858,000, which will make the Cavaliers' reinforcement players work much more smoothly, given the high salaries and the team in the playoff echelon
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