Thu, Feb 8, 2018 at 4:32pm

CLEVELAND CONTINUES OVERHAUL: GETS HILL, HOOD THROUGH 3-TEAM TRADE

In a three-team trade, the Cleveland Cavaliers acquired guard George Hill and the rights to center/forward Arturas Gudaitis from the Sacramento Kings, and forward/guard Rodney Hood from the Utah Jazz; the Kings acquired guard Iman Shumpert, a second-round draft pick in 2020, cash and the rights to forward/center Dimitrios Agravanis from Cleveland, and guard/forward Joe Johnson from Utah; and the Jazz acquired forward Jae Crowder, guard Derrick Rose and the right to swap second-round draft picks in 2024 from Cleveland.

What does it give the Cleveland Cavaliers
Hill will likely be the Cavaliers' new starting point guard (replacing the traded Isaiah Thomas), and Hood in in line to be Cleveland's new top backup shooting guard behind J.R. Smith. Hill brings much more defensive length than Thomas provided, and Hood is a potential future starter who has some scoring star ability. As with other recent Cavs deals, this is also about 'addition by subtraction' since the Shumpert was barely playing. As for Gudaitis, currently the 24-year-old big man is playing in Italy but if Cleveland can eventually convince him to join the NBA he should be a solid rotation piece for its future frontcourt.

What does it give the Sacramento Kings
The key here for Sacto is dropping Hill's huge contract, which pays him roughly $20 million this season and has two years left on it after this one. Johnson joins Vince Carter on the Kings as a fellow vet on the downside of his career with an expiring contract, so all-round Sacramento is clearly looking to maximize salary cap space for this summer (while adding more veteran mentorship). The 2nd-round pick and cash help with the Kings' rebuild options too. Meanwhile Shumpert has shown he can be a good two-way NBA starter when he's healthy and focused, but he joins an already-muddled Sacramento wing rotation. Agravanis is a solid young prospect (aged 23) who currently toils in the Greek League, and he might eventualy be a frontcourt depth guy for the Kings.

What does it give the Utah Jazz
Crowder is a good get for Utah. This season the Jazz has struggled with frontcourt depth, and the gritty Crowder can back up or start at all three frontcourt positions and shooting guard. He'll continue to provide above-average defensive punch. Rumors suggest Rose will be released by the Jazz. The second-round draft pick swap with Cleveland in 2024 looks like a throw-in.

Fantasy impact
Fantasy owners of Hill should see his value increase solidly, since he should start regularly at point guard for a contending Cleveland team. Hood's value is probably static, since he likely continues coming off the bench (as he did with Utah). Also consider adding current Cavs Cedi Osman and Jeff Green, who should see increased roles immediately. Even if Johnson had a chance to start with Sacramento, he's a fading player and it appears highly probable the Kings will give their younger players most of the minutes down the stretch. Shumpert might be worthwhile keeping an eye on, since he might have a chip on his shoulder from getting traded (but he too doesn't appear on the verge of starting with the Kings). Crowder's fantasy fortunes as well don't get much of a boost here, but he should be a rotation regular right away for the Jazz. As mentioned, Gudaitis and Agravanis are both playing in Europe (so neither has any fantasy value for now except in the deepest of dynasty or keeper leagues).