Report: Cavs saw James Harden potential in Kevin Porter Jr.

Kevin Porter Jr.’s time with the Cleveland Cavaliers came to a disappointing end on Thursday as the team decided to trade him to the Houston Rockets.

Although the Cavaliers only received a heavily protected future second-round pick in the deal, they thought that Porter had the potential to be similar offensively to Brooklyn Nets superstar James Harden.

“The Cavs knew all the reasons behind Porter’s draft night plummet,” wrote Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. “They did their homework, talked to countless people and met with Porter personally. Despite some other teams taking Porter off the board, the Cavs were enamored with his upside, seeing a Harden-like offensive package and tantalizing two-way traits.”

Throughout his career, Harden has averaged 25.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game on 36.3 percent shooting from three.

In his rookie season, Porter certainly showed flashes of offensive brilliance as he averaged 10.0 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game. His best performance of the season came against the Miami Heat in February of last year, when he recorded 30 points, eight rebounds, three assists and three steals.

Over the past couple of months, Porter has run into legal issues and had a heated exchange with Cavaliers general manager Koby Altman.

The argument with Altman was what ultimately lead to Porter’s exit from the team.