Three-Team NBA Deal Set to Send J.R. Smith to Cleveland, Dion Waiters to OKC
The first trade of the new year in the NBA went down on Monday night according to Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowksi. The New York Knicks reached an agreement to send guard J.R. Smith and swingman Iman Shumpert to the Cleveland Cavaliers while the Cavs will ship 2-guard Dion Waiters to the Oklahoma City Thunder. As part of the three-team deal, the Thunder are set to send roster filler in the form of Lance Thomas while the Cavs kicked in rookie center Alex Kirk, journeyman forward Lou Amundson and a 2019 second-round pick to the Knicks.
Steve Popper of the Bergen Record reports that the Knicks will waive all three of the players they received and Wojnarowski also reports that veteran center Samuel Dalembert will be waived by New York.
By moving Waiters and bringing in Smith, the Cavs are shifting from one volatile personality to another. The biggest difference is that Smith has thrived as an offensive weapon off the bench for a playoff team in his career while Waiters, who has reportedly feuded with Cleveland’s star point guard Kyrie Irving in the past, most certainly has not.
ESPN’s Marc Stein also reported that the Cavs will receive a “heavily protected’’ future first-rounder from the Thunder.
The final details of the trade still seem to be taking shape and some further updates are expected later Monday night.
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