 Thursday (February 24) is the NBA trade deadline, and following the recent blockbuster moves involving Carmelo Anthony and Utah's Deron Williams, the Los Angeles Clippers made a big move before time was up.
Los Angeles' step-child team dealt point guard Baron Davis and their 2011 first-round draft pick to the league's worst team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, in exchange for guard Mo Williams and Jamario Moon, reports ESPN.
The Cavs announced the deal Thursday, three hours before the deadline.
According to ESPN, the deal saves the Clippers considerable money over the next two seasons, due to Davis' large salary -- he's owed nearly $28 million over the next two seasons and the balance of his $13 million contract this year.
The Clips also get a younger point guard in Williams, who made the All-Star team while playing with alongside LeBron James the past couple seasons.
Moon's contract expires after this season, while Williams is owed $9.3 million salary for this season, player options of $8.5 million for each of the next two years, ad could potentially get out of his contract altogether. So, basically, the L.A. team should have more options for flexibility in free agency the next two seasons.
However, its likely, the draft choice they gave up will be a top-10 pick. But a Cavs source told ESPN that the draft pick was the main reason for the trade, not Davis.
"We know we're going to have to build this team through the lottery," the source told the network. "We hope Baron works out, but our primary focus was the pick. We really wanted two top-10 picks to infuse the team with young talent."
Davis is one of the top point guards in the league, when he's engaged. But will the Cavs get that Davis, especially with the worst record in the NBA?
A source, who worked with Davis in the past, says the L.A. native will not be happy with the trade, explaining that he's leaving his home town just as he's getting comfortable.
"Baron won't be happy," the source said. "This is a worst-case scenario for him. He was just starting to get happy in L.A. playing with [Clippers rookie] Blake Griffin. There's not much to get excited about in Cleveland these days."
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