Professional Qualities of Kevin Porter Jr.

Kevin Porter Jr. traded to the Houston Rockets, according to Athlete’s Shams Charania. The Cleveland Cavaliers will receive a protected second-round pick in the case. Porter, the No.30 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, spent his rookie season in Cleveland but had not played so far this season due to personal issues.

Porter originally fell to No.30 largely through character concerns. In August, he was charged with hitting a woman according to a Cleveland.com report, and in November he was arrested on suspicion of possessing a gun and marijuana. Porter reportedly had an explosion after his locker was moved to another section of the locker room earlier this week, which led to Cleveland’s decision to swap him or release him.

Porter has had a very promising rookie season. He averages 10 points on 44% of shots, but pushed that score above 14 points per game in a period from late January to early March, when he was given more playing time. did enough during that time that some wondered if he, and not fifth overall pick Darius Garland, was Collin Sexton’s right long-term partner in Cleveland.

Now he’ll join a suddenly crowded Rockets backcourt. The starting spots are currently occupied by John Wall and Victor Oladipo, and veteran Eric Gordon is also well established. This leaves Porter to compete with players like Mason Jones, Ben McLemore and Danuel House for reserve minutes.

But it’s unlikely that Houston will be arguing anytime soon with James Harden who now plays for the Brooklyn Nets. Taking high risk, high return swings on youngsters is usually a prudent decision under such circumstances. On paper, that’s the kind of move the Rockets should be making. We saw a glimpse of his potential in Cleveland. Now, the Rockets are hoping to find more consistent production from the former first-round pick. Here’s how the two teams rated the deal.

Cleveland Cavaliers: C-

Ignoring the circumstances, this result is a total disaster for Cleveland. The Cavs got 50 games from Porter. They traded four second-round picks and $ 5 million in cash to get the No.30 pick and take it. Now they only have one choice. Cleveland is not Oklahoma City or New Orleans. Koby Altman isn’t sitting on top of a pile of assets he can burn at his leisure. Losing all of these choices for someone who ultimately had to be abandoned is a significant loss.

But given where Cleveland is after a surprising 7-7 start in 14 games, it’s a justifiable loss. It was meant to be a rebuilding season, and the rebuilding seasons offer a degree of patience. The Cavs last season could have worked with Porter on his issues. But with Garland and Sexton bursting out and a suddenly stellar defense, Cleveland seems to have privileged culture over talent. It is a wise choice. Garland, based on his play so far this season, has proven his place as a long-term starter in Cleveland. This made Porter’s drop, regardless of raw ability, an easier pill to swallow. The Cavs won’t want help from the guard anytime soon.

But the accountability is universal, and now a young team has seen firsthand what happens when someone doesn’t buy into the program. It’s still a bad result for a young team still years away from a real argument, but the Cavs have managed to make lemonade out of those lemons.

Houston Rockets: B +

We have to start with the obvious caveat here. Porter’s situation is messy. The lack of demand for his services made sense given the charges against him. That would have been enough to keep him away from several teams, and what happened in the locker room earlier this week didn’t really help. This rating is based solely on the move as a basketball deal, and in that area it’s a cautious addition.

Right now, Houston has a crowded backcourt. That could change quickly. The widespread belief in the league is that Victor Oladipo will leave the Rockets to free will. If the Rockets continue to flounder, they could easily return him by the deadline in a deal that earns more draft capital and opens minutes. If this is indeed the path the Rockets are pursuing, it would point to a full-scale rebuilding over the next few seasons. It is a wise decision. Houston controls their first-round picks in 2022 and 2023, but not in 2024, 2025 or 2026. The Rockets are urged to be as bad as they can be in that two-year window so that by the time they start sending picks to the Thunder, they have their long-term kernel in place.

A good way to be bad is to spend minutes developing young players. Players with the Porter’s advantage are rarely available for the price Houston paid. In an ideal world, he would fight his growing pains over the next few seasons and become someone capable of helping the Rockets win as the Thunder begin to collect their debt. There’s no guarantee that he’ll ever get over the issues Cleveland traded him over, but for a protected second-round pick Houston doesn’t need him. They can cut it by investing very little if the need arises.

The Rockets aren’t exactly the picture of stability right now, but James Harden is gone. They can theoretically go through a period of relative normalcy now that he’s gone, and taking punches on talented youngsters is something normal rebuilding teams do. Porter might have benefited from a stronger culture, but if teams that could provide such an environment were interested, he would likely play for one right now. Houston was the team that wanted it. This indicates a willingness to make the commitment necessary for its growth, and given the playing time that is likely to become available soon, it is a chance for something to get off to a good start in a team with low expectations. That’s about all Porter can ask for right now.