IF healthy, Isaiah Thomas helps offset the lose of Kyrie Irving.
Like many fans, I’m still trying to wrap my head around who “won” the Celtics – Cavs trade and how much it changes the landscape of the Eastern Conference, if at all.
But one thing we can take away is that the deal helps Cleveland’s flexibility moving forward in several ways. Among them:
Lineup flexibility for this season
The idea that LeBron didn’t help much “help” was silly; he had two All-Stars who were in their primes, and the highest payroll in the league. In a year without a Golden State juggernaut, the Cleveland Cavaliers were a title-caliber roster.
That said, the team felt limited in terms of their lineups and optionality.
Right now, they have that. Here are some of the various lineups that they can throw at opponents:
the traditional lineup
PG: Isaiah Thomas
SG: J.R. Smith
SF: LeBron James
PF: Kevin Love
C: Tristan Thompson
key bench: Jae Crowder, Iman Shumpert, Derrick Rose, Kyle Korver
With this classic lineup, the Cavs would have some solid balance in their starting lineup, and enough size to make up for Isaiah Thomas’ limitations there. They’d also have a strong bench, highlighted by Jae Crowder. Crowder’s versatility would allow him to play heavy minutes all across the court to help fill in the gaps.
The staggered scoring lineup
PG: Derrick Rose
SG: J.R. Smith
SF: LeBron James
PF: Kevin Love
C: Tristan Thompson
key bench: Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Iman Shumpert, Kyle Korver
The idea here would to bring Isaiah Thomas off the bench as a super sub scorer. In theory, LeBron James could keep the starting lineup afloat, and IT would provide a huge spark that no other team in the league could match off the bench. They’d have an ace playmaker and scorer on the court for 48 minutes. Regardless of whether IT “starts” or not, staggering their two stars should be a priority for Ty Lue.
Rhe small ball lineup
PG: Isaiah Thomas
SG: J.R. Smith
SF: Jae Crowder
PF: LeBron James
C: Kevin Love
key bench: Tristan Thompson, Iman Shumpert, Derrick Rose, Kyle Korver
Offensively speaking, this is the lineup that gives you nightmares. IT, J.R., Jae Crowder, LeBron James AND Kevin Love can all shoot the three, making them nearly impossible to defend together. Obviously, the defensive side of the court will be a bigger problem for this particular unit, but it’s a lineup that Ty Lue can and should whip out more often than he has in the past back when he didn’t feel confident in his backup SFs.
Roster flexibility for next season
Another aspect of the trade that helps Cleveland is their flexibility for the following season when LeBron James may or may not return in the wine and gold.
Isaiah Thomas and Jae Crowder are good players, but not ones that you’re locked into long term. IT is a free agent next summer, so you can make a decision then about whether to bring him back into the fold or not. Crowder’s contract is so affordable that he’s among the most “trade-able” players in the league.
But, of course, the most intriguing asset is the Brooklyn pick, which could be anywhere from #1 to #10. The common logic is that the Cavs traded for that pick with an eye to “Life After LeBron,” but that’s not necessarily the cause. Wherever the Brooklyn pick lands, it’s going to be a trade asset in its own right. If LeBron wants to stay (and wants to stay in “win now” mode), then Cleveland can trade that pick for immediate help. By next summer, there’s no telling which stars may be disgruntled and be open to a title chase with LeBron.
Of course, the trade also helps the Cavs if LeBron does leave, by setting themselves up with a potentially high pick. They could flip older players like Kevin Love and Jae Crowder, and embrace the rebuild with a head start.
