The Cleveland Cavaliers are nearing a trade to acquire forward Sam Dekker from the L.A. Clippers, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
Cleveland is finalizing a trade to acquire Los Angeles Clippers forward Sam Dekker, league sources tell ESPN. — Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 5, 2018
No other details are available, but Wojnarowski says the Clippers are clearing a roster spot and Cleveland gives Dekker a chance for more playing time.
Sides are still working through parameters, but it’s essentially Clippers clearing a roster spot and a chance for Dekker to get a better opportunity for minutes with Cavs. https://t.co/aIYRLW2rAo — Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 5, 2018
Dekker spent his first two season with the Rockets before being traded to the Clippers before last season as part of the deal that sent Chris Paul to Houston. Dekker averaged 4.2 points and 2.4 rebounds while playing 12.1 minutes per game over 73 contests in 2017-18.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Clippers have traded forward Sam Dekker to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Further details of the trade are unknown at this time, but it’s hard to imagine the Clippers getting anything of substance for Dekker, who they were likely to cut anyway.
Cleveland is finalizing a trade to acquire Los Angeles Clippers forward Sam Dekker, league sources tell ESPN. — Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 5, 2018
The primary advantage for the Clippers is that they get to move Dekker’s guaranteed $2.7 million salary off of their books, potentially giving them additional flexibility under the luxury tax line and saving owner Steve Ballmer a little bit of money—though it wouldn’t surprise me if L.A. is sending Cleveland cash to cover a portion of Dekker’s salary for this season.
Dekker, a 6’8” combo forward from Wisconsin, was a major disappointment in his third NBA season and first as a Clipper, routinely losing minutes to Wesley Johnson, rookie wing Sindarius Thornwell, and two-way contract players from the G-League such as C.J. Williams, Jamil Wilson, and Tyrone Wallace. Of the 21 players who wore a Clippers uniform last season, only Brice Johnson and Sean Kilpatrick were less impactful, and Sam provided no indication that he could perform at an NBA-caliber level going forward.
The Clippers’ roster spot situation made it impossible to hold on to Sam. After releasing C.J. Williams last week and now trading Dekker, the Clippers sit at 16 contracts—a number that will have to be trimmed to 15 by opening night. It seems likely that one of the team’s second-year guards (Sindarius Thornwell or Jawun Evans) will be the final cut during training camp.
Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images
The Cleveland Cavaliers have acquired power forward Sam Dekker from the Los Angeles Clippers in a deal first reported by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski Sunday.
Dekker confirmed the deal in a post on his Twitter account:
Dekker averaged 4.2 points and 2.4 rebounds in his first season with the Clippers.
Dekker's wife Olivia, who's a college football reporter for ESPN, reacted to the report:
Cavs forward Larry Nance Jr. tweeted at his new teammate:
According to Wojnarowski, Los Angeles is looking to create a roster spot by dealing Dekker. The Athletic's Sam Vecenie posited the 24-year-old may not even have been a lock to remain on the Clippers' roster when the regular season tipped off.
The fact Dekker is now on his third team in four seasons speaks to how poorly things have gone since the Houston Rockets selected him 18th overall in the 2015 draft. Yahoo Sports' Jordan Schultz sees Cleveland as a place where he might be able to turn things around:
Dekker appeared in just three games as a rookie before suffering a back injury that kept him out for the rest of the year. In his second season, he struggled to carve out a role for a Rockets team that was contending for an NBA title.
Houston traded Dekker to the Clippers as part of the Chris Paul deal, but the change of scenery did little to help matters. He averaged six minutes fewer per game with Los Angeles (12.1) than he did the year before in Houston (18.4).
Dekker can be a restricted free agent next summer, so his move to Cleveland couldn't have come at a better time. The Cavs are navigating through a post-LeBron James period, and they have few options at forward behind the 37-year-old Kyle Korver.
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