Case in point, yesterday's article on the Cavaliers adding Nik Stauskas and Wade Baldwin was out of date that quickly as both of the new Cavaliers became old Cavaliers as part of a three-team trade between Cleveland, the Houston Rockets and Sacramento Kings.
The Cavaliers shipped Stauskas, Baldwin and the biggest chip in Alec Burks to the Rockets (Burks would later wind up with the Kings) as their part of the trade, while Cleveland added guard Brandon Knight, forward Marquese Criss and most importantly for their trouble- the Rockets 2019 first round draft pick.
Burks was averaging eleven points and five rebounds in his thirty-four games in Cleveland and since he would be a free agent at the end of the year, this is the situation that the Cavaliers hoped would play out since trading for him with the Utah Jazz as part of the Kyle Korver trade- Feature him until the deadline, hope that Burks would play well and would bring something back.
Mission Accomplished.
The 27-year-old Knight averaged double figures in points with the Pistons, Bucks, and Suns, but has never been able to stay healthy and missed the entire 2017-18 season with a blown-out ACL.
Knight is signed through next year and earns a whopping fifteen million next season.
Considering that Knight's knee hasn't helped his comeback in Houston (ten minutes a night in just twelve games and averaging three points) and for the weight that his contract carries, Knight didn't seem to be worth exceeding the salary cap tax that the Rockets are trying to avoid.
Houston was willing to float their first rounder in 2019 to avoid that tax and Cleveland was willing to take the contract on in exchange for that pick.
It'll be interesting to see if the Cavaliers actually use Knight or simply list him as a name on the roster, but since the Cavaliers are paying Knight anyway, they might try assisting in his comeback.
During next season, Knight's contract will be an expiring one and if Knight can return to two-thirds of his past game, Knight could be a valuable trade piece himself this time next year.
Marquese Chriss is the other player in the deal and he's another interesting case.
Remember all the prose that I wrote about Nik Stauskas yesterday, a lottery pick that showed some occasional strong play that turned pro too soon and might need a chance to play a lot for a bad team?
Save me the typing and apply all that to Marquese Chriss, who was the eighth pick in the 2016 draft out of Washington by Phoenix.
The 6'10 Chriss had a decent rookie year with the Suns averaging nine points and four boards with 50 percent shooting, but his second year saw a drop in play before moving to the Rockets before this season in a trade that also included Brandon Knight.
Chriss played very little for the Rockets as he averaged 1.8 points in only sixteen games and demanded a trade.
At 21, Chriss will be a free agent at the end of the year as the Rockets declined his rookie option, but still, this could be a good situation for the Cavaliers to take a free look and Chriss to show something to help him sign a new contract whether with Cleveland or someone else.
As for the first rounder- it is lottery protected, but the Rockets are the fifth seed in the Western Conference right now, so that's unlikely, but the more games the Rockets lose, yet still make the playoffs will improve that draft pick.
In the end, the Cavaliers will have to make the best of what they have, but considering that they started with Kyle Korver and a few months have turned one aging shooting specialist into a number one, two second rounders and an eventual expiring contract.
Time will tell who those players become, but you have to give Koby Altman credit for what his deals this year have brought in return.
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