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Well it’s official, the Cleveland Cavaliers have acquired the draft rights to Kevin Porter Jr. from the Detroit Pistons.
The trade was delayed as Porter Jr. was first drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks, before being sent to the Pistons along with Tony Snell on draft night. That trade needed to be consummated before the USC guard/forward could be sent to Cleveland.
The team announced the transaction Wednesday evening:
OFFICIAL: #Cavs acquire draft rights to @kevinporterjr from Detroit.
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) June 27, 2019
DETAILS: https://t.co/RBBEDl5Qzr pic.twitter.com/z9dM74pvmp
In exchange for Porter Jr. the Cavs sent the Pistons the 2020 second round pick from the Utah Jazz, Portland’s 2021 and 2023 second round picks, and Miami’s protected 2024 second round pick. You may recall the Miami pick was the heavily protected second the team acquired in exchange for sending Dwyane Wade back to south beach.
The Cavaliers also reportedly sent the Pistons a record $5 million in cash considerations for the pick. So for those keeping track at home, the Cavs traded both picks acquired for Rodney Hood, one of the two seconds they received along with Alec Burks for Kyle Korver, cash and a theoretical second round pick from Miami.
Porter Jr. was considered to be a lottery talent in this draft, but character concerns seem to be the consensus on why he fell. The Cavs were linked to him coming into the draft as they had scouted him thoroughly. It was also theorized that the Cavs would take on long-term salary to trade up for him in the draft.
While the compensation was considerable, the Cavs didn’t take on long-term salary and were able to keep their No. 26 overall pick and still acquire Porter Jr. What he will become in the NBA remains to be seen, but taking a chance on him comes with an upside you rarely see with the 30th overall pick.
For those that want to learn more about the Cavs newest acquisition, I strongly recommended reading Pablo Uggetti’s great piece at The Ringer. Regardless of how you feel about him as a prospect, his tragic story is one that makes it hard not to root for him. Especially as he puts on a Wine and Gold uniform.