CLEVELAND, Ohio — Cavs team president Koby Altman’s heart shrunk two sizes during Thursday’s NBA trade deadline. Might’ve cooled by several degrees, too. Because Altman just traded two locker room backbones — Caris LeVert and Georges Niang — to acquire Hawks forward De’Andre Hunter amid the best non-LeBron regular season start in franchise history.
And in doing so, The Grinch stole something precious from top-seeded Cleveland.
“If you take away somebody, especially somebody in the locker room, a locker room presence, it’s gonna disrupt it,” Cavs center Jarrett Allen said Tuesday night. “We’re all close to each other but, as you know, that’s how things go.”
Yes, we’re talking chemistry, vibes and team morale — equal parts hard to measure but easy to spot. During the first 51 games of this season, Stevie Wonder could tell you that Cleveland had built a happy roster. Just watch their interviews. Count the players who attended forward Max Strus’s charity event during a week that featured four games in six days. Or listen to star guard Donovan Mitchell describe the anxiety (or lack thereof) pulsing through a team thriving on continuity.
“… I’ve been around a bunch of trade deadlines,” Mitchell said Tuesday morning. “I think this is the calmest one I think I’ve been around as a unit. I think (it’s) because we’re just not really worried about anything else going on. To be honest with you, I forgot the deadline was Thursday.”
Ding. Here’s Mitchell’s reminder. Niang, the skilled forward and locker room favorite with whom Mitchell also played during the star’s first four NBA seasons, is gone. So is LeVert, the versatile sixth man who grew up alongside Jarrett Allen in Kenny Atkinson-coached Brooklyn.
For days, the Cavs have told reporters they believe this roster is good enough to win a title as is. For weeks, Atkinson has celebrated Cleveland’s chemistry and cautioned that any acquisition be vetted through interpersonal lenses. For his response, Altman traded two key rotation players from a 41-10 roster.
Why mess with a good thing?
Because Altman realizes the rare opportunity in front of him. Only 18 teams in NBA history have won at least 80% of their regular season games, as Cleveland is on pace to do. And while 12 of those teams won championships, only four — 1966-67 76ers, 1970-71 Bucks, 2007-08 Celtics and 2014-15 Warriors — did so during their first trip to The Finals.
Two lessons at hand: First, the Cavs might be as well positioned to win a title this year as they’ll ever be. Yes, their core is young and capable of improving. But the East’s best record is a high bar to clear every season. And home court advantage can determine a heavyweight playoff series. I know this because home teams are 109-33 in NBA Game 7s. And I wonder, after this season, how many times the Cavs will outperform Boston over 82 games.
Second, even the best regular-season teams realize the hard way that playoff basketball is different. I believe the sans-Hunter Cavs had turned a corner this season, but belief doesn’t hang banners. And this Cleveland roster, despite internal improvement, still faced questions concerning playoff readiness.
LeVert is a good sixth man, but he tallied six single-digit scoring performances last postseason (compared to five games of 10 or more points). Niang can pass and shoot, but he lost his touch last spring (13% from 3-point range in 10 playoff games), and opponents attack him on defense. Cleveland’s players will miss both teammates, but even they must acknowledge that Altman upgraded their roster Thursday.
At 6-foot-8 and 225 pounds, Hunter is built to push back against the Celtics’ pair of big, bullying wings. At 39.7% from 3 (6.7 attempts per game) he fits perfectly into Cleveland’s pace-y, space-y offense. At 50 games played per season, sure, he presents injury concerns. But few winners in history earned their place without risking and/or sacrificing.
Clearly, Altman agrees. And I think his fans support him. But Cleveland’s players? To be determined. Their friends got booted from basketball’s sunniest locker room.
Why mess with a good thing?
Because Cleveland’s cold-hearted hoops grinch is chasing greatness, which, as we all know, comes at a cost. Don’t get me wrong: I’m sure the Cavs will miss Niang’s skill and LeVert’s versatility. They can’t replace the G-wagon’s humor or “Vert’s” winning smile.
But riddle me this: Do good teams win because they’re happy? Or are they happy because they win? I know this locker room’s answer. They didn’t want to trade their friends. If Hunter pushes these Cavs over the top, though?
They won’t trade the title for anything.
