ESPN Reports:
“The Los Angeles Clippers and Cleveland Cavaliers have agreed in principle to a trade that would send Baron Davis and the Clippers’ 2011 first-round draft pick to Cleveland in exchange for Mo Williams and Jamario Moon.”
Two of the league’s moribund franchises have made a big swap that is more about salary and draft picks than the players going both ways in the deal. As usual, let’s look at the deal from both teams’ perspectives.
LA Clippers Outlook
The Clippers got rid of the mercurial Baron Davis before he could become a problem again, but that might have been the least important factor in this deal. Mo Williams, coming from a formerly winning atmosphere in Cleveland, provides a veteran presence and his shooting, along with new backcourt-mate Eric Gordon, will open up the floor for franchise-talent level rookie Blake Griffin. Williams, a consummate pro, is also less likely to balk at losing minutes to athletic and talented rookie point guard Eric Bledsoe. Still, even those are comparatively minor in the grand scheme of things until this summer.
The Clippers are going nowhere this year and know it. Beset by injuries and terrible on the road, they need to shore up for next year, when they can, following the Oklahoma City blueprint to success, make a playoff run. To do so, however, they need to fix the gaping hole at small forward. Several notable free agents play that position, with the Clippers reportedly coveting Tayshaun Prince most of all, but the Clippers didn’t have cap space to make a splash. Now they do.
Jamario Moon is a free agent who won’t be brought back. Baron was due to make $28 Million over the next two years, but Mo Williams makes $12 Million less and has player options he might choose to exercise and increase the savings. The savings on this deal are not enough for a max contract player, not that any are really out there for the summer of 2011, but are enough for a quality 3 like Prince.
This is all win for the Clippers. They sacrificed a draft pick (and really, three top young talents trying to gel together as a core is enough) to move a player that didn’t fit into their plans for one who makes them better on the basketball court and gives them a shot at the free agent that will further improve their outlook.
The Cleveland Cavaliers Outlook:
I, for one, will be shocked if Baron ever plays with any interest in Cleveland. He’s notorious for checking out when situations aren’t to his liking and had already clashed with Coach Byron Scott on Charolette. It’s a good thing, then, that he’s irrelevant to the deal.
The Cavaliers had a ridiculous abundance of cap space this summer. Baron Davis’ presence doesn’t change that, as they still have more than enough room under the cap for a max player. What this trade does do for them is give them a second great draft pick. The Clippers are hapless on the road with a tough schedule coming and should almost certainly grant the Cavs a second high pick in addition to their own. This influx of talent, even in a weak draft, is sorely needed for the worst team in basketball. It’s really as simple as that. They’ll pay Baron to gain the draft pick and rebuild something resembling a nucleus after LeBron left Armageddon.
Final Thoughts:
With this, the Cavs might return to respectability sooner than anticipated. It seems logical that out-for-the-season Anderson Varejao be traded for another high pick or young talent, and with the Clippers pick, their own pick and JJ Hickson, that’s a good start on rebuilding. Add in a max contract veteran, potentially under a sign and trade, and maybe Baron will be interested enough to try. In the East, while that’s not an immediate playoff team, it’s not too far off, given how well Scott has coached in the past.
The Clippers, meanwhile, are building a title contender. It’s hard to see that happen with Vinnie Del Negro as Head Coach, but DeAndre Jordan, Blake Griffin, Tayshaun Prince, Eric Gordon, Eric Bledsoe/Mo Williams is a playoff-bound starting five and, if they can keep their pieces and build a bench, potentially around the elite of the West. I also find it interesting that the two elite talents they grabbed, Griffin and Gordon are the 2 and 4, while the Thunder did similarly with the 1 and 3. Either way, finding two hard-working franchise talents through the draft and making canny cap moves will lead to success. Both the Clippers and Thunder offer hope for Cleveland.
