Cavs ship Thomas, Frye, 1st-rounder to Lakers for Clarkson, Nance
The Los Angeles Lakers are trading guard Jordan Clarkson and power forward Larry Nance Jr. to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for former All-Star Isaiah Thomas, big man Channing Frye, and a protected 2018 first-round pick, the Lakers announced.
The deal was first reported by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
With their own draft pick outbound, the Cavaliers are now subject to the Stepien rule, and are thus barred from trading the highly coveted Brooklyn Nets pick until after the draft - though they could conceivably trade it in a swap for another team's 2018 first-rounder.
The Lakers, whose primary goal has been to clear enough cap space to fit two max contracts in free agency, were desperate to get off of Clarkson's cumbersome contract, which has two years and $26 million remaining beyond this season. They'd reportedly shifted their free-agent focus from this coming summer to the summer of 2019, but moving Clarkson's deal helps them in either case.
The Cavs, meanwhile, were desperate for a shakeup of any kind. Even after their dramatic, feel-good win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday, they've lost 13 of their last 20 games and have the league's second-worst defensive rating for the season. Thomas was an abject disaster after returning from his hip injury - the Cavs got outscored by 15.1 points per 100 possessions with him on the floor - and the dynamic in Cleveland's locker room had plainly turned rancid.
Despite his unsavory contract, Clarkson is a productive player who can man either guard spot. On a per-36-minute basis this season, he's averaging 22.1 points and five assists and has the Lakers' best individual net rating. There's room for upside at just 25 years old.
Nance, an athletic combo forward, should also help shore up the Cavs' ridiculously leaky defense, though he won't help space the floor like Frye. The Lakers' 27th overall pick in 2015, Nance has another year left on his rookie contract at just $2.2 million, after which he'll become a restricted free agent (though he'll also be eligible for an extension this summer). He averaged 8.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.4 steals while shooting 60.1 percent from the field in 53 games for the Lakers this season.