Grades and Reactions to all 3 Cavaliers Deadline Trades

The Cleveland Cavaliers are 31-22 sitting in 3rd place in the Eastern Conference. To some teams, it's an enviable position, but for LeBron James and the Cavaliers, it's a massive disappointment. After three straight trips to the NBA Finals, anything less will be considered a failure in 2018.

The Cavaliers began to gear up for the 2018 NBA Finals last summer, when they made an NBA landscape-shifting move, shipping star point guard Kyrie Irving to the Boston Celtics for Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, and Brooklyn's 2018 1st-round pick.

Fast forward to February's trade deadline and both those players are gone.

The Cavaliers flipped their roster on Thursday in an unprecedented fashion, trading away six players in an effort to raise the team's playing standards.

Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Derrick Rose, Iman Shumpert, Channing Frye and Dwyane Wade are all gone. In their place, the Cavaliers received Jordan Clarkson, Larry Nance, Rodney Hood and George Hill. 

We'll break down the moves, one trade at a time, before giving the Cavaliers an overall grade and answering the burning question: does this increase the Cleveland's chances of winning the NBA title?

In the beginning of the year, many, myself included, thought the #Cavaliers were absolutely stacked with starters and bench players.

A few disappointing months later, 5 of these 10 players (along with all 4 Summer 2017 additions) have been traded. pic.twitter.com/NgnJqK5vEc

— Sak Sports Blog (@SakSports) February 8, 2018

Cleveland Cavaliers receive: PG Jordan Clarkson, PF Larry Nance Jr.

Los Angeles Lakers receive: PG Isaiah Thomas, PF Channing Frye, Cleveland's 2018 1st-round pick

Though it never seemed impossible that the Cavaliers would trade Thomas, the rumors certainly stayed quiet leading up to Thursday's trade deadline. Less than 24 hours beforehand, Thomas said he was happy in Cleveland and done being traded. Welp. And even if Cleveland parted with Thomas, they would probably want another star in return, right?

Instead, the Cavaliers get back two young players under team control in a move that will help them this year and moving forward. On paper, the Cavaliers lost talent, but even through 15 games, something always felt off when Thomas was on the court for Cleveland. In the 2017-2018 NBA season, the two point guards averaged:

Thomas: 14.7 points, 4.5 assists, 2.1 rebounds, 36% FG, 25% 3PT

Clarkson: 14.5 points, 3.3 assists, 3.0 rebounds, 49% FG, 32% 3PT

So even while Thomas should be the better player, the 25-year-old Clarkson has been more impressive and efficient this year. Thomas will be a free agent at the end of the year, but the Cavaliers will control Clarkson for three more years.

Why would you make this move from the Lakers standpoint? Simple, by absorbing Thomas' contract this year, they will create cap space in the summer of 2018, which could be used to pursue Paul George or LeBron James if either makes themselves available.

Clarkson will either start in place of Thomas or come off the bench, a role he has excelled in with the Lakers this year. If not Clarkson, George Hill could be Cleveland's starter at point guard.

Larry Nance Jr. adds an X-factor to the Cavaliers frontcourt. They have bigs, such as Tristan Thompson, Kevin Love, and Ante Zizic, but Nance will provide some much needed youth and electricity to the position, and will probably see a lot of time with Love out 5-7 more weeks. The second-year man out of Wyoming averaged 8.6 points and 6.8 rebounds per game with the Lakers in 22 minutes per game.

Channing Frye was once an important bench piece for the Cavaliers who saw his role evaporate this year. Cleveland will barely miss his 4.8 points per game this season.

With these two player swaps, it's easy to say the Cavaliers dominated this trade. But that's why the Lakers were looking for extra compensation, provided in the form of Cleveland's 2018 1st-round draft pick. The pick will be in the #20-27 range, and will allow the Lakers to add another young player this summer. The Cavaliers would have enjoyed the same luxury, but at least retain Brooklyn's 2018 pick.

The Lakers get a B for clearing cap space and adding a draft pick. Time will tell if that was worth parting with two young players with team control.

The Cavaliers get a B+ for unloading Isaiah Thomas and adding two quality players with years of team control. It would have been a better trade if they didn't have to give up their draft pick.

Cleveland Cavaliers receive: SG Rodney Hood (From Utah), PG George Hill (From SAC)

Utah Jazz receive: Derrick Rose (From CLE), Jae Crowder (From CLE)

Sacramento Kings receive: Joe Johnson (From Utah), Iman Shumpert (From CLE) and the Miami Heat's 2020 second round pick (From CLE)

After the Cavaliers dealt Isaiah Thomas shortly after noon, it felt like more moves could be on the way. Cleveland's next trade was a three-team deal, bringing the Cavaliers Rodney Hood and George Hill while giving up Derrick Rose, Jae Crowder, Iman Shumpert, and the Heat's 2020 second-round draft pick.

Rose showed flashes in hi tenure with the Cavaliers but still never took off as an everyday player. He will reportedly be waived by the Jazz with an ideal landing spot of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Joe Johnson is also expected to be released after this trade. Could the Cavaliers even be a potential landing spot for him?

Hood is a 6'8" wing player that essentially fills the place of Crowder. In fact, Crowder's defense may have been superior to Hood's, but the 4th-year man out of Duke still brings a lot to the table. His 16.8 points per game and 42% field goal rate with the Jazz this year were the highest marks of his career. He's also working on his deep ball, with a career-high 39% mark this season.

Crowder was slightly more well-rounded, posting better marks defensively and rebounding, but the difference is so small that it can be made up for through solid coaching. Playing alongside LeBron can definitely elevate Hood's game.

George Hill is my pick to start at point guard for the Cavaliers. It's not that he's better, Clarkson is slightly superior, but he's a veteran point guard capable of running the offense or ceding to LeBron when necessary. Both Thomas and Clarkson thrive when they're producing offensively, so the bench role might suit Clarkson better.

Hill averaged 10.3 points, 2.8 assists, and 2.7 rebounds per game in 36 starts for the Kings. His 47% field goal rate and 45% three-point percentage show that even though he's not thinking score first, he can put points on the board when called upon.

Like Frye, losing Shumpert shouldn't mean much as his role was reduced in 2018. Shumpert had a mere 4.4 points per game with an abysmal 6.44 PER this year.

The Cavaliers make small improvements with this trade. Hill is better than Rose, though the margin isn't huge, and Hood vs. Crowder is a toss-up that depends on organizational fit. But even if the trade were dead even on paper, the Cavaliers still benefit from shaking things up. The old roster seemed broken beyond repair, so with Hood and Hill, the Cavaliers have fresh energy to try and right the ship with.

The Cavaliers get a B for improving their roster without giving up too much. They may miss Crowder's defense, but Hood is a significant offensive improvement. 

The Jazz get a C+, as they will only come away with Crowder, and Hood may have had a future in Utah. The trade also seems to end playoff hopes for 2018.

The Kings get a B-, as they didn't gain much of anything besides setting themselves up in the future.

Cleveland Cavaliers receive: protected second round draft pick

Miami Heat receive: SG Dwyane Wade

To officially shake up the culture in Cleveland, the Cavaliers completed their trifecta of trades by sending Dwyane Wade to the Miami Heat, where he has played 13 seasons. How often do you see a franchise acquire their all-time leading scorer at the trade deadline?

Wade's game on the court was definitely passable, averaging 11.2 points, 3.5 assists, and 3.9 rebounds in 23.2 minutes per game. On a championship team, Wade could have been a solid 7th or 8th option for the Cavaliers. But instead, Wade departs alongside Thomas, Crowder and Rose, who all arrived last summer. 

It appears that influx of players never really meshed with the Cavaliers core. There were even reports that Cavaliers players were upset with Wade's signing and playing time, claiming he received favoritism as LeBron James friend.

The trade is perfect, however, in returning Wade to Miami, the only place he's ever really belonged. It would have been a bad move if the Cavaliers shipped Wade to a random team, so it's good to see the decency and respect the future Hall-of-Famer was treated with.

For the Heat, the move is hardly just ceremonious and fulfills an actual roster need. As recently as a a couple days before the deadline, Miami was sitting 4th in the Eastern Conference. But with the 3rd and 9th seeds currently seperated by a mere 4.0 games, the 29-26 Heat have fallen to 7th in the conference.

The Heat have looked good in spurts this season, but lost former Cavaliers shooting guard Dion Waiters for the season in January after he underwent ankle surgery. At the advanced age of 36, Wade can't be asked to shoulder the offensive load for the Heat, but he can definitely contribute. Every win will count as the Heat could end up with home court in the first round or miss the playoffs entirely.

This trade gets a passing grade for both teams, as the Cavaliers unloaded Wade as part of a culture swap and the Heat get back their franchise player in a time where help is needed.

Cavaliers received Jordan Clarkson, Larry Nance Jr, Rodney Hood and George Hill, future Heat second-round pick (protected)

Cavaliers traded away Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Derrick Rose, Dwyane Wade, Iman Shumpert, Channing Frye, their own 2018 1st-round pick, Miami's 2020 2nd-round pick 

It's hard to believe the Cavaliers traded away three former All-Stars and got none back, but it's because none of them are playing at an All-Star level right now. If we had been told in August the Cavaliers would trade Isaiah Thomas at the deadline, I would hope the return was much greater. But for how Thomas has played this season? The fresh faces may be worth it for the Cavaliers.

Cleveland didn't improve overnight much in any particular area, but the culmination of these trades will drastically change the on-court culture for the Cavaliers. Thomas said before being trade that when adversity hits, the players go their separate ways. Maybe Thomas was among players that didn't trust everyone or was breaking the trust. By getting rid of Thomas and Wade, the trust can begin to build again.

This might be the least talented team LeBron will try to take to the Finals since 2009 in his last stint with the Cavaliers. He should have All-Star Kevin Love back by the playoffs, and J.R. Smith and Tristan Thompson have playoff experience with Cleveland. Besides that, the Cavaliers will roll with an interesting assortment of young players, Kyle Korver, and Cedi Osman.

The Cavaliers didn't get a savior at the trade deadline. DeAndre Jordan or Kemba Walker would have had a bigger immediate impact on the team. But the hope is that these players will come together to play a more unified, cohesive version of basketball. Ty Lue is going to have to actually coach to get the most out of these players.

The Cavaliers get a B for not standing pat at the trade deadline and making drastic moves to revitalize their season. Crowder's defense and Thomas' potential will be missed the most, but neither was what they were expected to be in Cleveland. Though it would have been great for the Cavalier to get an instant upgrade, the sum of these parts may help them in the long run.