Cleveland Cavaliers
Why It Makes Sense for the Portland Trail Blazers:
Larry Nance Jr. brings great defensive grit and hustle that Portland desperately needs. One of the few net positive defenders on a woeful Cavaliers team, Nance is a versatile multitool who can capably guard a wide range of players. He also is a menace on the boards for a player his size, especially on the offensive glass. His offensive rebounding rate was the best on the Cavaliers over the past two seasons of anyone not named Tristan Thompson or Andre Drummond.
Because his age doesn’t match up with the Cavs timeline and his dubious injury history, Portland has a chance to get Nance without too big of a return.
Why It Makes Sense for the Cleveland Cavaliers:
While Nance is a quality NBA player, he is already 28 years old and will most likely be on the decline when the Cavaliers start to contend again. That combined with his injury history means they might be ready to move on from him.
In return, the Cavs receive Trevor Ariza, a player who can contribute on both ends of the court and is also the perfect player to dangle in front of a contender in return for young assets and picks. The Cavaliers will be thinking they may be able to snag a first off one of the better teams in the league in return for Ariza’s services. The #46 pick gives Cleveland another chance to speed up their rebuild and hopefully strike gold on a sleeper pick.