Skip to main content

Trading Ramon Sessions & Continuing to Get Value for Past Moves: From Terrell Brandon to Anderson Varejao & Kyrie Irving

Reviewing analysts' and fans' comments from TV, online discussion boards, Twitter, and other sources, it sounds like the Ramon Sessions trade received mixed reviews. While it may hurt now to lose Sessions' point guard skills, work ethic, and will, the Cavaliers were wise to obtain a 2012 first-round draft pick and the right to swap first-round draft picks with the Lakers in 2013. Following the season, Sessions was expected to exercise an opt out clause in his contract to pursue the opportunity to start for another NBA ballclub. The Cavs did him a favor, as Sessions may now get a chance to start in Los Angeles for the Lakers' championship contending team.

The scenario with trading or keeping Sessions brought attention to a critical decision point that all NBA teams face. Teams often face the prospect of losing players via free agency. While clearing salary cap space can be helpful for future development (signing free agents, draft picks, and contract extensions), teams also need to have draft picks in order to be able to acquire players through the draft. In the NBA, most teams are unable to rely heavily on free agency to build up a championship team. As Cleveland fans know, the Cavaliers and other Cleveland teams typically only get desired free agents to sign when they are in championship contention. Otherwise, players opt to go to bigger media markets and/or warmer climate cities, regardless of dollar values on contracts. Thus, it is important for team management to recognize situations when they will be able to re-sign their own free agents and understand situations when they will not be able to re-sign them.

Sometimes, teams let players walk away. That is fine. Sometimes, pending free agents lack trade value and might not be necessary to keep around even in the short term. In Sessions' case, he was too talented to let him walk away without getting something in return to help with future Cavs' teams.

Believe it or not, the Cavaliers actually have at least one draft pick transaction from 20 years ago on which they continue to get value. What started out as a draft pick to get Terrell Brandon in 1991 has resulted in the acquisitions years later of Anderson Varejao and Kyrie Irving.

Wait a minute: how is Terrell Brandon linked to Varejao or Irving? Here's how:
  • June 16, 1991: Cavs draft Terrell Brandon with the 11th pick in the 1991 NBA Draft
  • September 25, 1997: Cavs trade Terrell Brandon and Tyrone Hill in a three-team trade and obtain Shawn Kemp and Sherman Douglas
  • August 30, 2000: Cavs trade Shawn Kemp in a three-team trade and obtain Chris Gatling, Clarence Weatherspoon, and a 2001 1st round draft pick
  • October 26, 2001: Cavs trade Chris Gatling in a three-team trade and obtain Ricky Davis and Brian Skinner
  • December 15, 2003: Cavs trade Ricky Davis, Chris Mihm, Michael "Yogi" Stewart, and a 2005 2nd round draft pick for Tony Battie, Kedrick Brown, and Eric Williams
  • July 23, 2004: Cavs trade Tony Battie, a 2005 2nd round draft pick, and a 2007 2nd round draft pick for Anderson Varejao, Drew Gooden, and Steven Hunter
  • February 21, 2008: Cavs trade Drew Gooden, Larry Hughes, Donyell Marshall, Ira Newble, Shannon Brown, and Cedric Simmons in a three-team trade and obtain Ben Wallace, Delonte West, Wally Szczerbiak, and Joe Smith.
  • August 13, 2008: Cavs trade Joe Smith and Damon Jones in a three-team trade and obtain Mo Williams
  • February 24, 2011: Cavs trade Mo Williams and Jamario Moon for Baron Davis and a 2011 1st round draft pick
  • June 23, 2011: Cavs draft Kyrie Irving with the 1st pick in the 2011 NBA Draft.
Mind boggling? Perhaps. What also can be added to this conversation is that Terrell Brandon and Zydrunas Ilgauskas are both linked to Ramon Sessions and the trade that happened last week.
  • June 26, 1996: Cavs draft Zydrunas Ilgauskas with the 20th pick in the 1996 NBA Draft
  • February 17, 2010: Cavs trade Zydrunas Ilgauskas, a 2010 1st round draft pick, and the rights to Emir Preldzic(?) in a three-team trade and obtain Antawn Jamison and Sebastian Telfair
  • July 26, 2010: Cavs trade Delonte West and Sebastian Telfair for Ramon Sessions, Ryan Hollins, and a 2013 2nd round draft pick
  • March 15, 2012: Cavs trade Ramon Sessions and Christian Eyenga for Luke Walton, Jason Kapono, a 2012 1st round draft pick and the right to swap 1st round draft picks in 2013. 
Wow! Well, if one really wants to be surprised, technically, Mark Price is connected to all of this, too! How is that possible?
  • June 17, 1986: Cavs trade a 1989 2nd round draft pick for the draft rights to Mark Price
  • September 27, 1995: Cavs trade Mark Price for a 1996 1st round draft pick
  • June 26, 1996: Cavs draft Vitaly Potapenko with the 12th pick in the 1996 NBA Draft
  • March 11, 1999: Cavs trade Vitaly Potapenko for Andrew DeClercq and a 1999 1st round draft pick
  • August 3, 2000: Cavs trade Andrew DeClercq for Matt Harpring
  • August 3, 2001: Cavs trade Matt Harpring, Cedric Henderson, and Robert Traylor for Tyrone Hill and Jumaine Jones
  • July 29, 2003: Cavs trade Jumaine Jones for J.R. Bremer, Bruno Sundov, and a 2005 2nd round draft pick
  • December 15, 2003: Cavs trade Ricky Davis, Chris Mihm, Michael Stewart, and a 2005 2nd round draft pick for Tony Battie, Kedrick Brown, and Eric Williams 
  • See above: Varejao trade, West trade, Williams trade, Davis trade, draft Irving
  • See also above: Jamison trade, Sessions trade, trading Sessions for draft picks.   
Wow! Just wow! Cavalier greats Mark Price, Terrell Brandon, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas played some memorable years for Cleveland, then through trades keep on giving back to the Cavs franchise. It will be exciting to see who else the Cavaliers add with the future draft picks and other future moves. 

Should the Cavs have traded Sessions? If you didn't agree with the trade before, hopefully this shows what a team can do rather than letting players walk away for nothing.

Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

Zone Defense: The Rule Change Michael Jordan is Forgetting

In accordance with the release of the new NBA 2K11 basketball video game, legendary Chicago Bulls shooting guard Michael Jordan has returned to the media's spotlight. That is, Michael Jordan has caught the sports world's attention by saying that today's NBA rules would have allowed him to score 100 points in a game. No one is questioning Michael Jordan's uncanny ability to make plays, create shots, and score points. Michael Jordan is right in saying that, overall, today's rules favor offensive players, particularly guards. Much less contact is allowed in defensive play; some of what was legal when Jordan played (such as forearms and handchecking) is now deemed personal foul-worthy. Furthermore, with a 30-team league, talent is spread out more than it used to be, and players--while on average are more athletic today--come into the league much less fundamentally sound. However, Michael Jordan has forgotten about the re-emergence of zone defense in the NBA. True,
Read more

2018 NBA Finals Preview: The Evolution of Cavs vs. Warriors

Picture: Front entrance to Quicken Loans Arena on May 30th, 2018. (There were no new decorations yet for the 2018 NBA Finals as the Q renovation project takes place. Decorations were added today.) Cavs rotation Star players who are core players:  F/G LeBron James, F/C Kevin Love Role players who are core players:  G George Hill, G/F J.R. Smith, C/F Tristan Thompson, F Jeff Green, G/F Kyle Korver Role players who are situational players:  G Jordan Clarkson, F/C Larry Nance Jr., G/F Rodney Hood, F/G Cedi Osman, G Jose Calderon Bench players who are secondary backups:  C/F Ante Zizic, C Kendrick Perkins, F Okaro White *Not on playoff roster: Two-way players:  G/F John Holland, G London Perrantes Warriors rotation Star players who are core players:  F Kevin Durant, G Stephen Curry, G Klay Thompson, F/C Draymond Green Role players who are core players:  [G Andre Iguodala], C/F Kevon Looney, G Shaun Livingston, G/F Nick Young, G Quinn Cook  Role players who are situa
Read more

Remembering the Last NBA Lockout

Odds are that there will be another NBA lockout this offseason. Previously, there have been three NBA lockouts. In 1995, a lockout lasted three months but did not cut into the regular season. In 1996, the lockout was very, very short - only a couple of hours. However, the third NBA lockout in 1998 was the first work stoppage in NBA history. It ended up cutting out nearly half the 1998-1999 season; the result was a 50-game regular season schedule played in 90 days. There were sequences where teams played 3 days in a row. That is otherwise unheard of in the NBA. A meeting is scheduled for tomorrow (Thursday, June 30th) to further discuss NBA labor negotiations. Here's hoping to no lockout in 2011 or, at the very least, no lost regular season games in 2011-2012. Until then, here are some interesting story lines that were going on around the time when the NBA owners locked out NBA players in 1998. **Please be warned that some of the content is more mature in theme.** > Choking A
Read more

The New Cavalier Era

The 2021-2022 NBA season has been quite the ride for the young Cleveland Cavaliers team. There have been ups and downs with multiple winning streaks but loads of injuries and illness. After the New Year’s Eve loss, the Cavs stand at 20-16 and 5th in the Eastern Conference. Coach J.B. Bickerstaff was rewarded for helping guide and teach the team with a Christmas Day contract extension through 2026-2027. Rajon Rondo joins to help fill the void left by Ricky Rubio and Collin Sexton, who both suffered from season-ending injuries. Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen, and Evan Mobley are showing up as big-time players, with Isaac Okoro leading other up-and-coming players on the roster. Trade rumors continue regarding other big-name talent. Regardless, the Cavs are finding their stride this year. 2022 brings much basketball hope to Cleveland, including the NBA All-Star Game in February and hopefully a return to postseason play for the first time in 4 years.
Read more

560-342, 95-51 & counting

Picture: The sun shines on the LeBron James billboard across the street from the Q on Monday, April 17th, 2017. In 11 seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers, LeBron Raymone James Sr. has helped lead his team to a 560-342 regular season record (average of 51-31 per season) and a 95-51 playoff record thus far. Prior to the two LeBron eras in Cleveland, the Cavs had compiled a modest playoff record of 28-49 with two Eastern Conference Finals appearances. It's been quite the ride. However, many analysts, fans, and other NBA conspiracy theorists are calling this weekend the end of the second LeBron-Cleveland era. If this is true, making four Conference Finals in a row, three NBA Finals in a row, and winning one NBA Championship will never be forgotten in Cleveland. No matter how many championships James ends up winning in his career, the 2016 win will always stand out. The Cavs defied all odds by coming back from a 3-1 series deficit to defeat a team with a historic 73-9 regular sea
Read more

2007: “Believeland” and the Parallels between Sports and Life

The year 2007 has been a great year for Cleveland sports. Regardless of whether or not the Browns make the playoffs today, all three teams of the ‘Big Three’—Cavaliers, Indians, and Browns—have put together winning seasons. One thing that has always fascinated me about sports is seeing parallels between sports and life, and as fans of these Cleveland teams we can definitely carry their winning attitudes into our own lives (whether on or off the field/court) as we turn the calendar to 2008. In Cleveland sports, we have seen our shares of mishaps and disappointments, including times when players or team officials themselves surrendered too early and never gave winning a chance. As fans, most of us at one point or another have written off certain players, coaches, teams, etc. because we did not believe that they could win, whether the reason was internal to the team or external. Regardless, we have come to expect little out of our teams yet still endlessly criticize them w
Read more

Lesson Learned from ESPN Baseball Tonight's Pitchers' Roundtable Last Night

With Major League Baseball finishing up its All-Star break yesterday, ESPN's Baseball Tonight aired a special "Pitchers' Roundtable" on TV last night. Having watched some of this program, I was thoroughly impressed by the knowledge and wisdom shared by the five former pitchers. The most important lesson I took away from the program applies not just to baseball players and coaches, but to all players and coaches as well as all students and teachers. The lesson, namely, is: "Different people have different learning styles." There is a lot in society and pop culture about "different strokes for different folks". Yet, out on the court, in the classroom, and out in the workplace, there tends to be a focus on doing things one way. As this cliche goes, "there is one right way". Personally, I dislike such a philosophy, although I understand the practicality of it. If there is one "right" way of doing things, then evaluation of perform
Read more

NBA Team Chemistry Rankings: 3rd Quarter of Season

Here are the updated NBA Team Chemistry Rankings for the 2011-2012 season. Noted preseason contenders --Oklahoma City, Chicago, San Antonio, Memphis, Miami, Dallas, and Boston--all find themselves in the current playoff picture. Of these 7 teams, only the Grizzlies at 4-6 have played sub-.500 ball in their last 10 games. Overall, the Western Conference remains the stronger conference, with 13 of 15 teams at 20 or more wins this season; in comparison, the Eastern Conference has only 9 of 15 teams at 20 or more wins. Regarding team chemistry, there appears to be balance across the conferences, with 5 teams from each conference currently ranking in the top 10. It will be interesting to see how the final month of the season goes and where teams end up in the playoff seeding. Rank Team Notes Previous 1. Oklahoma City Thunder The Thunder continue to look like 'the team of the future'--i.e. the championship team of the next defining era of NBA basketball, a la Magic and B
Read more

A New Day in Believeland: A 2nd 'Season Opener' vs. Kyrie & the Celtics

Video credit: Fox Sports Ohio - The Cleveland Cavaliers celebrate LeBron James's  game-winner vs. the Minnesota Timberwolves on February 7, 2018.   From the outside looking in, numerous analysts and fans had watched the past month of basketball and made a distinct observation: the 2017-2018 Cleveland Cavaliers ( prior to the trade deadline ) do not like each other. Wednesday night's victory celebration seemed quite fitting as a farewell party to any spoken or unspoken drama in the locker room. As I stated a month ago: With the trade deadline a month away (February 8th), how the team adjusts or doesn't adjust with IT, TT, DRose, and Shumpert back will help determine if anyone needs to be brought in--and if any of these four players or anyone else ends up getting traded. As it turned out, the suspicions many of us had in Believeland were correct: guys needed to get traded in order to adjust the rotation. TT stayed, but IT, DRose, and Shumpert were all traded away. C
Read more

Will the Cavaliers retire the jersey numbers of Z or Free? Yes for Z, Unknown for Free

Currently, the Cleveland Cavaliers have six former players' jersey numbers in the rafters. They are: #7 (Bingo Smith), #22 (Larry Nance), #25 (Mark Price), #34 (Austin Carr), #42 (Nate Thurmond), and #43 (Brad Daugherty). Retiring radio broadcaster Joe Tait's 39 seasons with the team was also honored with the raising of a banner at the end of last season. There is a chance that #23 can be retired to the rafters someday, but that will require either the contrition of one star player or the emergence of another star player who goes on to wear that jersey for the Cavs. As it stands, the two most likely former Cavaliers to have their jerseys retired in the near future are #11 Zydrunas Ilgauskas and #21 World B. Free . In drafting up the idea for this article over the past month and a half, it has since been learned that the team INTENDS to retire Ilgauskas' #11 sometime in the future. The secret was uncovered when it was revealed that #1 draft pick Kyrie Irving's reques
Read more