The Cleveland Cavaliers cleaned house Thursday ahead of the NBA trade deadline, sending away six players in exchange for four.
General manager Koby Altman was primarily responsible for the Cavaliers' moves, which he says were necessary to end the team's nasty tailspin.
"We felt like we were on a slow death march and that's not something I wanted to be a part of," Altman said Thursday, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN.
Related: Making sense of what happened in Cleveland
Unless their name was LeBron James, no one on the roster was safe. Even Dwyane Wade, James' longtime friend and former teammate, was sent back to Miami in exchange for a solitary second-round pick.
Cavaliers' deadline-day moves
| Out | In |
|---|---|
| Isaiah Thomas | Jordan Clarkson |
| Channing Frye | Larry Nance Jr. |
| Derrick Rose | George Hill |
| Iman Shumpert | Rodney Hood |
| Jae Crowder | |
| Dwyane Wade |
Still, Altman believes James is satisfied with the moves, and appears confident the 33-year-old can carry his team back to postseason success.
"I think we're going to get a rejuvenated LeBron James, and that's the key. ... He's the guy who is going to take us back to the promised land," he said, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.
