Cleveland Cavaliers: Discussing the Lakers trade with L.A. Sports Hub

The first of three deadline deals made by the Cleveland Cavaliers was agreed upon with the Los Angeles Lakers. For more insight into this trade, I discussed it with L.A. Sports Hub.

It was assumed that at least one move was going to be made by the Cleveland Cavaliers prior to the trade deadline coming to an end. That happened but two others were agreed upon too and the Cavs are still not done!

Most of the reaction to the first trade between Cleveland and the Los Angeles Lakers have been positive. However, what does the Lakers’ fanbase say about the deal?

FanSided’s L.A. Sports Hub‘s Jason Reed provided his thoughts below. He posted my thoughts here on the trade and LASH can also be followed here as well.

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FoS: How concerned and/or excited are you about the trade return, specifically adding G Isaiah Thomas?

LASH: I am super excited about the trade return. I know Thomas is coming with his own bit of drama, but this literally can’t go bad for Los Angeles. If he proves to be an issue they simply can cut him allowing more court time for Josh Hart, who has excelled with Lonzo (Ball) out.

If he returns to old Isaiah Thomas form, they can compete for an eighth seed and get these young guys winning experience. Either way, he opens up cap space as well. Huge win.

FoS: Are you content with how the trade played out or is it one-sided from your point of view?

LASH: I am very content with how the deal played out. I think both sides got a fair return and accomplished what they set out to accomplish. Cavs get their reboot and the Lakers get cap space.

FoS: Do you see IT re-signing this offseason?

LASH: Absolutely not. He does not fit in the long-term plans, especially with Lonzo Ball. Bill Simmons on his podcast made an interesting point that if LeBron (James) does come to the Lakers then they will have to trade Lonzo, opening up a spot for Thomas.

However, as we already saw, LeBron and Thomas are not going to play together in the future. If IT was taller I would maybe consider him at shooting guard, but he simply doesn’t serve as anything past a rental.

FoS: Is IT and Lonzo Ball going to be able to co-exist on the court at the same time?

LASH: I think so. I think Lonzo is big enough that they can run them both in the backcourt at the same time.

However, if Ball doesn’t get healthy soon the Lakers may just shut him down to avoid anything serious, giving IT the playing time he wants. While I do not see that happening, I would not rule it out.

FoS: With how the trade was constructed, do you have any qualms about it and what was your initial reaction to the news of this trade?

LASH: Not at all. When I heard the news of the trade my immediate response was “I wonder how Laker fans perceive this deal.” Laker fans are diehard and they support their guys, sometimes a little too much.

You could trade Jordan Clarkson for LeBron James and I feel like half the fan base would ridicule it. To my surprise though, most fans either loved the deal or were unsure, there were a lot less people that hated it than I thought there would be.

We would like to thank Jason for taking the time out and expressing his thoughts on the Lakers/Cavs trade. Jason’s complete work for LASH can be viewed here.

Next: 5 potential buyout candidates

Both teams have the vision to succeed but both also are taking completely different approaches. As the season progresses, it will be interesting to see if IT can turn both his season and career around.

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