Cleveland Cavaliers: 6 ways the trade deadline deals impact the team

1. Cavs get younger

Forget Larry Nance being a northeast Ohio native who happens to be the son of a Cavs legend. He’s 25 and is  $5 million this season and next. He’s athletic and is one of the game’s premier dunkers.

A native of Akron, Nance played his high school ball at Revere High School before leading the Wyoming basketball program to the NCAA tournament as a senior.

The 6-foot-9 forward is averaging 6.9 rebounds and 0.5 blocks per game. He can protect the rim, which has been a huge problem for Cleveland all season.

It seems Clarkson’s been rumored to the Cavs in each of the past three seasons and with a deal finally getting completed, Cleveland’s getting someone who can score (14.5 points per game) per game.

Clarkson, who is also 25, takes about four 3-point attempts per game, but he’s not great from beyond the arc. He’s shooting just .324. His best season as a 3-point shooter came two years ago when he shot a career high .347.

Rodney Hood, 25, a 6-foot-8 shooting guard is having his most prolific scoring season, averaging 16.8 points per contest. His addition also takes some of the sting of losing Channing Frye as Hood is shooting just under 39 percent from 3-point range this season.

His addition makes the Cavs better on the perimeter, which is necessary against a team like the Warriors. For all of the talk of the Cavs getting a rim protector, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst has consistently stated on WKNR that he’s been told by NBA sources that what the Cavs really need, is another perimeter player.

Well, they got two good ones now in Hood and Clarkson.