As the trade deadline draws closer and closer, more and more news of the deal is coming out, many teams have begun to make plans for follow-up, and teams that want to impact better results have begun to seek adjustments and reinforcements. Another 4-for-2 deal was made, the two sides of the deal were the Cavaliers and pacers, the main body of the deal was the Cavaliers sent the golden boy Rubio, the 2022 first-round pick and the next two second-round picks from the Pacers to LeVert, second-round draft picks
Let's first look at the current situation of the two teams in the standings, the Cavaliers are 33 wins and 21 losses to finish third in the Eastern Conference table, and the Pacers have suffered a wave of three consecutive defeats with a record of 19 wins and 36 losses, ranking third from the bottom in the Eastern Standings. The situation on both teams has made them both start to make adjustments for the follow-up, the Cavaliers need to strengthen the lineup in order to impact better results, after all, Sexton suffered an injury; while the Pacers have been running to rebuild this season, so they sent a smooth water in the trade with the Pacers and reached a deal.
Let's first look at the winners of this side of the trade, first of all, the Knights get the perfect reinforcement puzzle. The current results that the Cavaliers have been able to achieve this season can be said to be unexpected, with excellent young starters in the team, veteran Luck playing a steady role to lead the Cavaliers' bench, and seven players with an average of 7 double-doubles per game. Sexton's injury left the Cavaliers slightly understretched at the backcourt, and they are also seeking to improve on this point. LeVert averaged 18.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 0.9 steals per game, and his arrival can make up for the Cavaliers' shortcomings and become the perfect puzzle for the Cavaliers to impact better results.
Winner Two: Walkers. As mentioned earlier, the Pacers have been racing to rebuild this season, and they have also made a huge gain in this deal. First of all, they sent LeVert's big contract, bearing in mind that LeVert currently has 2 years of salary of 36 million, and his contract will not end until the summer of 2023. Rubio's contract expires this summer, freeing up paycheck space for the Pacers. At the same time, he got the draft picks, exchanging his existing assets for more draft picks, and it can be said that the deal makes the Pacers' rebuilding even further.
Winner three: LeVert. In recent years, LeVert has had a bad time, spending time in turmoil and displacement. Now that he has come to a relatively stable environment, his current performance is still very good, he can improve the height of the Cavaliers' backcourt, make up for the Cavaliers' shortcomings, in such a situation he can get more opportunities. For the Cavaliers and LeVert, the two sides will achieve each other, and if LeVer plays well, the offseason may be expected to get a large contract extension in advance.
Where there are winners, there are losses. In this deal Rondo became one of the losers. The Cavaliers traded Rondo in the hope that he could use his experience to improve the Cavaliers' backcourt strength, but LeVert's arrival is likely to compress Rondo's playing time, which is not good news for a veteran, if Rondo wants to fight for more opportunities, he must maintain excellent form, just like in the game against the Pacers, and connect the team well while scoring.
Rubio became the biggest loser in the deal. Rubio, who has a good performance in the international arena, has not played well in the NBA, and in recent seasons he has traveled to many teams, and this season he can say that he has played a very good performance in the Cavaliers again, scoring and equaling the career-high season of 13.1 points and getting 4.1 rebounds and 6.6 assists. Seeing that the future is bright, this time he has been traded, and he is being traded to the team to be rebuilt, his contract will expire in the offseason, he is now 31 years old, the Pacers obviously will not keep him in his own plan, then the next estimate he faces will still be traded.
From the above, the Cavaliers completed the extreme 4 for 2, with a small chip to perfectly strengthen their own shortcomings, in general, the two teams are taking what they need, the trade deadline is getting closer and closer, which teams will trade next? Let's wait and see.