Coming off three consecutive trips to the NBA Finals, the Cleveland Cavaliers have struggled vitally this season. Among the worst of their showings this year was a 148-124 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, the most points the franchise has allowed in over 30 years. The greater significance of this specific game is that it epitomized how the Cav’s horrendous defense, ranked 29th out of 30 teams in the league, has consistently forced them into large deficits that they are usually unable to overcome.
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Isaiah Thomas (middle) being surrounded by the swarming Thunder defense of Paul George (left) and Andre Roberson (right) during a 148-124 loss to Oklahoma City (via The SaltLake Tribune)
After losing Allstar Point Guard Kyrie Irving, Cleveland was forced to integrate new faces such as point guard Isaiah Thomas, defensive gem Jae Crowder, and former MVP Derrick Rose. However, constant drama surrounding the team from LeBron’s potential move to the Lakers this summer to Derrick Rose taking a leave of absence to reevaluate his career to the impact of the so-called “Kardashian curse” on center Tristan Thompson have antagonized the locker room as well as the team’s overall performance on the court. After coming back from a devastating hip injury, Isaiah Thomas struggled to get back to his Boston Celtics self that averaged 28.9 ppg as a top 5 MVP candidate;
Isaiah Thomas (#3) bringing the ball up the court (via Bleacher Report)
In just 15 games with the Cavs, Thomas averaged only 14.7 points on 36.1% FG and 25.3% from three; his inability to play defense effectively due to his 5’9″ frame also contributed to Cleveland’s failures.
Cleveland Cavaliers General Manager Koby Altman (via Bleacher report)
The Cavaliers ultimately traded a third of their roster in about an hour, the day of the NBA trade deadline. Perhaps the most significant of their moves was sending Isaiah Thomas, Channing Frye and a first round pick to Los Angeles for Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr. The Lakers took on expiring contracts in an effort to free up cap space for a big splash in free agency this summer. Rumors have been circling about the possibility of superstars LeBron James and Paul George joining Los Angles this offseason. However, it will be interesting to see how the dynamic between Isaiah Thomas and rookie point guard Lonzo Ball plays out for the rest of the season, and whether Thomas can revitalize his career in LA. From the other side of the deal, Cleveland takes on two young, promising players that they hope can energize their squad during the postseason. General Manager Koby Altman did a great job of making multiple trades such as this Lakers deal to improve the Cavaliers after their failure to reach much prominence thus far into the season. Other notable transactions included dealing Derrick Rose and Jae Crowder to the Utah Jazz as well as Iman Shumpert to the Sacremento Kings in return for George Hill and Rodney Hood as part of a 3 team trade; this provides Cleveland with an immediate upgrade at the point guard spot as well as more depth on the wing. With the emergence of these younger guards, Altman did the honorable thing by sending Dwayne Wade back home to Miami for a 2024 2nd round pick. Wade, himself, was overjoyed by the news and has confirmed his decision to stay in South Beach for the rest of his career. While the Cavs seem to get younger, more athletic pieces, it is still unclear whether this will be enough to even get them back to the finals once they reach the postseason, nonetheless challenge the likes of the Golden State Warriors.
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