Sat, Oct 14, 2017 at 7:27pm

CAVS SLASH LUXURY TAX BY MOVING JEFFERSON & FELDER

The Atlanta Hawks acquired combo forward Richard Jefferson, point guard Kay Felder, two 2nd-round draft picks (one in 2019, one in 2020), and cash considerations from the Cleveland Cavaliers for the draft rights to power forward Dimitrios Agravanis and guard Sergey Gladyr.

What does it give the Atlanta Hawks
The rebuilding Hawks have a lot of cap space, so they use it here to help the Cavs save some money. Both of Jefferson and Felder have been waived, so for Atlanta it's clear this deal was about the draft picks. The Hawks receive the lower of two 2019 picks coming to Cleveland via the Lakers and Timberwolves, and they also get a 2020 second-rounder headed to Cleveland via Portland.

What does it give the Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cavs are still trying to win a title with aging superstar LeBron James, and that means an expensive roster. Cleveland is still well over the NBA's luxury tax line following this trade, but they at least shave almost $13 million in luxury tax owed by moving Jefferson and Felder. The contributions of both will be more than filled by newcomer Dwyane Wade (in the backcourt and in the locker room), but it's a tough roster decision for Cleveland nontheless because both of Jefferson and Felder were positive depth contributors. Unsigned prospects Gladyr and Agravanis appear to be throw-ins, but Agravanis is still relatively young and might eventually make his way to the NBA to be a significant contributor.

Fantasy impact
There's no fantasy impact with this deal, since Jefferson and Felder were unlikely to play much at all with the Cavaliers.