News is breaking today that the Cleveland Cavaliers, NY Knicks, and OKC Thunder have reached an agreement in principle on a three team, multi-player trade that is only awaiting league approval this evening to be finalized. Yahoo! had the following report from a source on the involved players:
The Cleveland Cavaliers have reached an agreement in principle to acquire New York Knicks guards J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert in a multi-team trade that also sends guard Dion Waiters to the Oklahoma City Thunder, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
Oklahoma City will give the Cavaliers a protected future first-round draft pick and send guard Lance Thomas to the Knicks, league sources said. As part of the trade, the Cavaliers will send rookie center Alex Kirk, forward Lou Amundson and a 2019 second-round pick to the Knicks, sources said.
The Knicks are also apparently planning to waive Canadian center Samuel Dalembert, who hasn’t been producing much this season, and if not waived by Wednesday will have his salary guaranteed for the remainder of the season.
New York clearly isn’t making this move for a significant roster upgrade, but instead is dumping the salaries of J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert. Next season alone this will save the Knicks $6.5M dollars in their rebuilding project through high draft picks and a possible run at a free agent(s).
Smith and Shumpert can fill a few immediate needs for the Cavs, including depth and a scoring spark off the bench, offensive range, and perimeter defense.
Will this trade make the Cavs a contender in the East?
