The Cleveland Cavaliers have agreed to trade 2019 first-round draft pick Kevin Porter Jr. to the Houston Rockets for a heavily protected future second-round pick, sources told ESPN on Thursday.
Sources told ESPN's Brian Windhorst that the Cavaliers decided to trade or waive Porter after a screaming match with team officials on Friday night, when he attended his first game of the season.
The pick is top-55 protected, meaning it is likely to never convey, sources said.
The deal
Rockets get: Kevin Porter Jr.
Cavaliers get: Protected second-round pick
Houston Rockets: B-plus
This time last year, the Rockets would have been overjoyed to land Porter, who was one of the pleasant surprises of the 2019-20 rookie class. The talented Porter slipped to the 30th pick of the 2019 draft in part because of concerns stemming from a team suspension during his lone season at USC, but he looked like a lottery talent as a rookie, averaging 10.0 points per game -- 14th among qualifying rookies.
Given Porter didn't turn 20 until after his season ended, that was an impressive performance. When Mike Schmitz and I ranked our top 10 rookies in March, Porter nearly cracked both of our lists.
Unfortunately, Porter has been unable to build on his rookie campaign in the wake of a car crash in November that resulted in a felony gun charge (improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle) and misdemeanor charges of marijuana possession and driving without a license -- all of which were subsequently dismissed.
As my colleague Windhorst detailed, the crash followed concerning social media posts by Porter that led Cavaliers teammates and team officials to reach out to him.
Porter was not with Cleveland for personal reasons as the team began training camp. When he joined the team for his first home game last Friday, Porter got in a screaming match with team officials over their decision to move his locker to an auxiliary area following the Cavaliers' acquisitions of Jarrett Allen and Taurean Prince in a four-team trade involving Houston. As a result of that outburst, Cleveland decided to either trade or waive Porter, according to Windhorst, confirming a report by The Athletic.
Because the Rockets are unlikely to send the Cavaliers the second-round pick, which is top-55 protected, per my colleague Tim MacMahon, their risk in making this deal is low. If they reach the same conclusion as Cleveland did about Porter, they're out only his $1.8 million guaranteed salary for 2021-22. (Houston also will have to waive guard Chris Clemons, who suffered a season-ending Achilles rupture during preseason action, to clear a roster spot for Porter.)
For the Rockets, who no longer have a single first-round pick they've made on their roster, Porter represents an infusion of young talent before the future draft picks they added in recent trades begin trickling in. As MacMahon notes, Houston is also surely banking on the mentorship of assistant coach John Lucas, who operates a wellness and aftercare program for athletes in addition to his coaching duties.
Here's hoping Porter is able to get back on the court and resume his development.
Cleveland Cavaliers: B
Once Cleveland made the decision to move on from Porter, this kind of deal is about as good as the Cavaliers could have expected. The Cavaliers were able to clear Porter's 2021-22 salary from their books and also create more flexibility with regards to this year's luxury tax. Cleveland is now $4 million from the tax line, giving the Cavaliers the ability to fill the open spot on their roster without having to worry as much about hampering their options for adding salary at the trade deadline.