The competition made a move this weekend, with the Cavaliers dealing DeAndre Hunter and two second-round picks to the Kings for a pair of guards: Keon Ellis and Dennis Schröder. This was a cost-saving trade for the Cavs, who have been a disappointment this season and are deep in the luxury tax. It wasn’t a maneuver to make Cleveland better, though Schroder is playoff-tested and gives opponents headaches when he’s motivated. Conventional wisdom suggests the Cavs won’t be done before the Feb. 5 trade deadline.
We’ll see.
You can bet the Knicks aren’t making any deals just to save James Dolan money. They are in a win today window and are operating accordingly. Perhaps they will lower the salary to provide more flexibility under the second platform, allowing them to improve the roster with separate trades. But the focus is on 2026 (with a side focus on keeping their options open for Giannis Antetokounmpo, if he’s still available after the deadline and not for the Knicks).
For what it’s worth, Dolan recently said he doesn’t expect a major trade. And barring a move by Antetokounmpo, I think this is the way this trade deadline will go. A trade or two to improve depth. Or maybe they just fire a player (ahem, Guerschon Yabusele) who is a disappointment and takes up a roster spot.
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