NBA trade time is here for the 2021-22 regular season.
The Cleveland Cavaliers lost guard Ricky Rubio for the season Tuesday when he suffered an ACL tear in his left knee in a loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. Rubio’s injury follows last month’s news that the Cavs will be without starting guard Collin Sexton for the season because of a torn meniscus. With their top three guards now out of the rotation — starting point guard Darius Garland is in health and safety protocols — the Cavaliers needed to act quickly.
Cleveland saw a solution in Los Angeles Lakers point guard Rajon Rondo, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The Cavaliers have agreed to trade Denzel Valentine to the Lakers to acquire Rondo.
Friday’s deal marked the first trade of the 2021-22 season. We’ll have a rundown of every trade ahead of the Feb. 10 deadline, including grades from ESPN’s Kevin Pelton.
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Cleveland Cavaliers get:
Rajon Rondo
Los Angeles Lakers get:
Denzel Valentine