CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland Cavaliers have agreed to send talented but troubled swingman Kevin Porter Jr. to the Houston Rockets in exchange for a future round two selection.
The second round is Top 55 protected and will probably never convey. However, according to sources, the Rockets will take over Porter with one of their trade exemptions that will allow the Cavs to cut Porter’s remaining salary – $ 1.71 million for this year and the $ 1.78 million guaranteed for 2021-22. Dollars that were part of a contract option The Cavs trained last month.
The not-yet-official move also opens up a roster seat – and enough flexibility below the luxury tax – for the Cavs to attempt to sign a backup point guard while Matthew Dellavedova is indefinitely on hold due to a concussion.
Since the outbreak on Friday evening in the Cavaliers’ locker room, the front office had been exploring various trading opportunities.
Though disappointed to have to move on from Porter, who was the 30th election in the 2019 NBA draft and was once considered the potential cornerstone of that rebuilding, the Cavs hoped to find a trading partner rather than immediately abandoning him. They also looked for good situations and believe that the presence of assistant coach John Lucas, who has worked with difficult players in the past, could help Porter change his life in Houston.
The Cavs can now officially go ahead and focus on the players who appeared as mature professionals and participated in a better than expected 7-7 start.
“We got it,” one player told cleveland.com on Monday. “It had to happen in order to preserve our culture. We are in a positive direction right now. “
The Cavs believe in Porter’s talent. They always viewed him as one of the most exciting players on last year’s draft, viewed him as a worthwhile risk in the final Round 1 election, paid $ 5 million, and ditched four second round players to acquire it. But the maturation issues that caused him to slip off the draft board continued in Cleveland – and they went well beyond a November 15 arrest.
It was a step forward and then a few steps back. He couldn’t string enough good days in a row and sabotaged his own progress. At one point, sources say, Porter was not working towards the goals the organization had set for him outside of court and preventing him from regaining their trust. It was also a sign that he hadn’t learned from his mistakes and wasn’t taking the situation as seriously as the team wanted.
From the Cavs point of view, there was a collective fatigue in dealing with Porter, who doesn’t get many chances in the NBA. You never suspended him. You didn’t punish him. They tried to work with him and invested the time, energy, effort and resources. The decision to move on, made shortly after his “little breakout,” as one source put it, was not an easy one. It was the result of many factors, including disregard from employees and teammates. That explosion in the dressing room became a turning point.
“The organization did everything and more for him,” said a source.
The Night Porter joined his teammates and made a positive step towards returningThe boy got angry and started screaming as he walked into the locker room to find that the team was giving their old locker to the newcomer Taurean Prince, acquired in the four-team blockbuster deal with James Harden last Wednesday. According to one source, the decision was based on seniority and the NBA’s distance to compliance with COVID-19 protocols. With Porter unlikely to play in the near future and Prince on the nightly rotation, it made more sense to have Prince closer to his teammates.
That moment of frustration with Porter throwing food resulted in General Manager Koby Altman coming in to speak to Porter, who didn’t want to cool off. After this heated confrontation, Porter was asked to clear out his locker and remove it from the building.
“We all want Kevin to be successful and I still feel that way,” Cavs head coach JB Bickerstaff said recently. “Whatever happens to him in the future, I hope nothing but the best for him. And it is part of our responsibility as coaches to give everything to everyone and to try to get the best out of every situation. I can tell we did that. “
The 20-year-old porter has yet to play this season for personal reasons. He got frustrated because the team kept him out. In August 2020 he was accused of beating a woman in the face. In October, Porter posted a black square on his Instagram with the message, “Do you ever want to see the end of your time?” This incident resulted in Cavs officials and teammates reaching out to him, making sure he was okay, and offering to help him. He was involved in a car accident in November – arrested and charged with improper use of a firearm in a motor vehicle, poor control of the vehicle and marijuana possession. All of these charges were dismissed.
After an average of 10 points and 3.2 rebounds as a rookie in 23.2 minutes last year, Porter was considered a bright spot. Now he’s going to try to revive his career with the Rockets.
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New Cavs Face Masks For Sale: Here, you can purchase Cleveland Cavaliers-themed face covers for coronavirus protection, including a single mask ($ 14.99) and a 3-pack ($ 24.99). All NBA proceeds were donated to charity.
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