The Cleveland Cavaliers reportedly had the ability to acquire center DeAndre Jordan back in 2018, but they turned it down.
Cleveland reportedly had a deal for Jordan during the 2018 trade deadline, but general manager Koby Altman decided not to pull the trigger because he knew LeBron James was going to leave in the offseason.
“The main deal was for [Los Angeles] Clippers center DeAndre Jordan and some other pieces,” Cleveland.com’s Terry Pluto wrote. “Altman wanted to keep the pick. He knew James was leaving. He needed young players to rebuild. Just imagine if the Cavs had made a short-term deal for Jordan and didn’t have [Collin] Sexton.”
Altman’s decision not to make the trade paid off, as James left for the Los Angeles Lakers that offseason.
The Cavs now have a solid young core, and Sexton is arguably the most important piece.
This season, Sexton is averaging 26.8 points and 4.2 assists per game and has shown he can be an elite scorer.
The Cavs certainly could’ve used Jordan in 2018 to make a run at another championship, but Altman had the foresight to keep the team’s future in a better place.
