In order to improve their current standings in the ongoing 2014-15 NBA season, which happens to be below fans expectations, or prepare for the future seasons, the New York Knicks, the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Oklahoma City Thunder consummated a three-team six-player trade on January 5, 2015.
The multiplayer trade saw the Knicks sending JR Smith and Iman Shumpert to the Cavaliers; the Cavaliers shipping Dion Waiters to the Thunder, and the Knicks getting Alex Kirk and Lou Amundson from the Cavs and Lance Thomas from Oklahoma, details ESPN.
As part of the deal, the Thunder is giving its protected future first round pick to the Cavaliers while the Cavaliers are giving its 2019 second-round pick to the Knicks.
Good for the teams
The trade is viewed by many as favorable for all the teams involved, reports USA Today.
However, in terms of improving their standings in the current NBA season, it looks like the Knicks’ move was premised on the financial aspect of the trade. The three players they got from the trade were not meant to shake things up in their lineup.
The team just wants to free up some space on its salary cap and letting go of shooter JR Smith and defensive specialist Iman Shumpert give the Knicks what it wants. The team has also waived center Samuel Dalembert. Unloading Smith, Shumpert and Dalembert would save the team more than $20 million in salary and luxury taxes.
In a statement after the trade, Knicks President Phil Jackson said that the trade has improved the flexibility of its current roster as well as its salary cap for the future NBA seasons.
The Cavaliers got both an offensive and defensive bolster in acquiring Smith, who is averaging 10.9 points this season, and Shumpert. Smith, the mercurial shooter that he is, should be able to take the offensive loads off LeBron James, Kevin Love, and Kyrie Irving coming off the bench. Shumpert on the other hand, can showcase his defensive intensity in the wings.
For the Thunder, acquiring Dion Waiters, who is averaging 10.5 points this season, is a good move since Reggie Jackson will become a restricted free agent in summer and will most likely get offers that the team would not be able to match.
Despite his obvious scoring capabilities, Waiters has struggled fitting into the Cavs system for the past two seasons and his move to the Thunder would allow him to show his offensive prowess coming off the bench.
On the day of the multi-player trade, all the three teams lost in their respective games on Monday night. The Cleveland Cavaliers lost to the lowly Philadelphia Sixers, the New York Knicks were beaten by the Memphis Grizzlies, and the Oklahoma City Thunder got run over by the rampaging Golden State Warriors.