Even good trades can have unintended consequences.
The Cleveland Cavaliers escaped with a win over the Washington Wizards despite not having their best stuff. Trading away team favorites Caris LeVert and Georges Niang for De’Andre Hunter was part of the reason why that was the case.
“We weren’t here to be honest to start the game,” said Max Strus after Friday’s win. “It’s the NBA. At the end of the day, you gotta sucker up and play the game.”
Koby Altman, President of Basketball Operations, made it clear that his goal was to create the best team possible during his media availability on Friday afternoon, even if it meant sending locker room favorites away despite Donovan Mitchell and Jarrett Allen saying that they had enough talent on the team already.
“My job is to make this team get better,” Altman said. “We can’t just rest on chemistry and good vibes. We got to get better and it’s an arm’s race in the East. It’s very competitive. … So we wanted to set ourselves up with the best chance to be successful.”
The Cavs should be better because of the deal. Hunter solves a position of need, but that doesn’t make it easy for the players.
“It’s hard to say words like that when we’ve had such a special group and gone through a lot with that group,” Strus said when asked about processing the upgrade to the roster. “Those are two guys [LeVert and Niang] we care about a lot that have left this locker room so we’re gonna miss them. Thinking about them. Wish they were a part of it but at the end of the day it’s the NBA, it’s a business.”
You’re judged in the NBA by wins and losses. This trade will be no different. Even a potential upgrade on the court comes with consequences. It’s clear that at least some members of this team wanted to win with the group that was there and felt that they had enough.
“Hopefully it’s an upgrade and hopefully it helps us win more games,” Strus said. “Hopefully [it] helps us keep playing games through May, hopefully into June.”
There’s a human element to basketball that’s hard to quantify but was seen in Friday’s game.
The Cavs have played with so much joy this season. That joy didn’t seem as apparent in Washington as they went down to the wire against the worst team in the league.
Still, they were able to pull the win out down the stretch and looked a little bit like the team we’ve grown accustomed to this season.
“This just goes to show how connected we are,” said head coach Kenny Atkinson postgame. “How much they support each other. We went through some stuff and we’re all kind of tired. … A lot of teams lose this game. That’s kind of who we are. We got a heck of a team.”
Transitions can be difficult, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t worthwhile. You often need to risk something to gain something. The Cavaliers are hoping the move for Hunter is a worthwhile gamble.
“These are hard things to do,” Altman said. “Even though the regular season record is what it is, we’re thinking past April and we’re thinking how do we continue to progress? How do we win rounds of the playoffs? How do we ultimately set ourselves up for a championship?
“When you look at the different matchups that we could potentially see…we’re excited with what we added to be ready for potential matchups.”