The Cleveland Cavaliers have acquired power forward Sam Dekker from the Los Angeles Clippers in a deal first reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski Sunday.
Dekker confirmed the deal in a post on his Twitter account:
@dekker
Excited to get out the #TheLand and play with the dirtiest dude in the league. But for real, couldn’t be more excited for the opportunity. I’m more than ready.
Dekker averaged 4.2 points and 2.4 rebounds in his first season with the Clippers.
Dekker’s wife Olivia, who’s a college football reporter for ESPN, reacted to the report:
Olivia Harlan Dekker
✔
@Olivia_Harlan
What an eventful summer!
Cavs forward Larry Nance Jr. tweeted at his new teammate:
@Larrydn22
Welcome to The Land my guy!! Better be ready to get out on the wing and run ?? @dekker
According to Wojnarowski, Los Angeles is looking to create a roster spot by dealing Dekker. The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie posited the 24-year-old may not even have been a lock to remain on the Clippers’ roster when the regular season tipped off.
The fact Dekker is now on his third team in four seasons speaks to how poorly things have gone since the Houston Rockets selected him 18th overall in the 2015 draft. Yahoo Sports’ Jordan Schultz sees Cleveland as a place where he might be able to turn things around:
“A lack of maturity and focus regarding basketball” have plagued Sam Dekker throughout his career, one league source says. Chance for a fresh start with the #Cavs now. Dekker is talented and young enough to turn it around.
Cleveland is finalizing a trade to acquire Los Angeles Clippers forward Sam Dekker, league sources tell ESPN.
Dekker appeared in just three games as a rookie before suffering a back injury that kept him out for the rest of the year. In his second season, he struggled to carve out a role for a Rockets team that was contending for an NBA title.
Houston traded Dekker to the Clippers as part of the Chris Paul deal, but the change of scenery did little to help matters. He averaged six minutes fewer per game with Los Angeles (12.1) than he did the year before in Houston (18.4).
Dekker can be a restricted free agent next summer, so his move to Cleveland couldn’t have come at a better time. The Cavs are navigating through a post-LeBron James period, and they have few options at forward behind the 37-year-old Kyle Korver.
Courtesy: Bleacher Report
