Cleveland, Ohio – The Cleveland Cavaliers have reached an agreement to sign talented but troubled swingman Kevin Porter Jr. to send to the Houston Rockets in exchange for a future second-round pick, sources told cleveland.com.
The second player is top-55 protected and it will probably never be transferred, sources say. However, sources say that the Rockets will take Porter on one of their trade exceptions, which will allow the Cavs to move away from Porter’s remaining salary – $ 1.71 million for this year and the $ 1.78 million guaranteed for 2021-22 which was part of a contract option. the Cavs trained last month.
The as yet unofficial move also opens a grid – and enough flexibility under the luxury tax – for the Cavs to try and sign a rugby point, while Matthew Dellavedova remains indefinite for a concussion.
Since Friday’s outburst in the Cavaliers’ locker room, the front office has been exploring various trading opportunities.
While he was disappointed to move on from Porter, who was the 30th pick in the 2019 NBA draft and was once considered a potential cornerstone of this rebuild, the Cavs were hoping to find a trading partner instead of to forsake him. They also looked for good situations and believe that the presence of assistant coach John Lucas, who has worked in the history of difficult players, could help Porter turn his life around in Houston.
The Cavs can now officially move on and concentrate on the players who acted as mature professionals and started participating in a better-than-expected 7-7.
“We get it,” one player told cleveland.com on Monday. “It had to happen to maintain our culture. We now have things going positively. ”
The Cavs believe in Porter’s talent. They always consider him one of the most exciting players in last year’s draft and consider him a valuable risk with the last choice in the first round, paying $ 5 million and giving away four second rounds to acquire him. But the maturity issues, which led to him slipping off the draft board, continued in Cleveland – and it went much further than an arrest on Nov. 15.
It was one step forward and then a few steps back. He could not pull together enough good days in a row and continued to sabotage his own progress. According to sources, Porter at one point did not work on the goals the organization had set for him from the court, and prevented him from regaining their trust. It was also a sign that he did not learn from his mistakes and did not take the situation as seriously as the team wanted.
From the Cavs’ point of view, there was a joint fatigue in dealing with Porter, who will not get many more chances in the NBA. They never suspended him. They did not fine him. They tried to work with him, investing time, energy, effort and resources. The decision to go ahead, taken shortly after his ‘small eruption’, as one source describes it, was not easy. This is due to many factors, including contempt for staff members and teammates. Inflating the dressing room became the tipping point.
“The organization did everything and more for him,” a source said.
The night Porter joined his teammates and made a positive progress to return, the young man became angry and started screaming as he entered the locker room and realized that the team had given his old locker room to the new arriving Taurean Prince , which was acquired in the four-man James. Strengthens bare trade last Wednesday. A source says the decision is based on NBA seniority and spacing to adhere to COVID-19 protocols. Since Porter is not expected to play in the near future, and Prince in the every evening rotation, it makes more sense to have Prince closer to his teammates.
That moment of frustration, which included Porter throwing food, led to Koby Altman, general manager, coming in to talk to Porter, who did not want to cool off. After the heated confrontation, Porter was told to clean his closet and remove it from the building.
“We all want to see Kevin succeed, and I still feel that way,” Cavs head coach JB Bickerstaff said recently. ‘Whatever happens to him in the future, I hope for nothing but the best for him. And it is part of our responsibility as coaches to give everything to everyone and try to make the best of every situation. I can say that we did it. ‘
Porter, 20, has not played this season due to personal problems. He got frustrated because the team kept him out. In August 2020, he is accused of hitting 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?” The incident prompted Cavs officials and teammates to reach out to him and make sure he was ready and offered to help. He was involved in a car accident in November – arrested and charged with improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle, failure to control the vehicle and criminal possession of marijuana. All of these charges were dismissed.
After scoring 10 points and 3.2 rebounds in 23.2 minutes last year as a rookie, he was considered a highlight. Now he will try to relive his career with the Rockets.
–
New Cavs face masks for sale: Here you can buy Cleveland Cavaliers-themed face masks for coronavirus protection, including a single mask ($ 14.99) and a 3-pack ($ 24.99). All NBA proceeds are donated to charity.
More coverage from Cavaliers
Can Cavaliers really afford to trade Andre Drummond?
Drummond is valuable and leads Cavaliers to 106-103 victory over Knicks
Porter Jr. returns to the bench, one day after participating in the exercise
Bickerstaff’s challenge: takes place for Allen, Drummond and McGee in the forecourt
Rugby games against Washington postponed due to COVID concerns
Reconstruction plan comes into focus with Jarrett Allen trade that ‘was too good to pass’
Breaking Down the Allen, Prince Agreement: Podcast
Cavaliers jump into Harden trade makes great addition to growing young core
Cavaliers acquire Jarrett Allen, Taurean Prince, in the cultivation of Harden