Cavaliers head to nation’s capital to face Wizards

Washington DC- For the fourth and final time this season the Cleveland Cavaliers will face the Washington Wizards.

The Cavaliers are (2-1) against the Wizards this season, winning both matchups played at Quicken Loans Arena. Cleveland’s lone loss came in Washington back in mid-November.

It seems that every time these two teams meet, their rosters have looked different. Friday may be the most extreme example, as it falls just a day after the NBA trade deadline.

Two of the Cavaliers starters used Tuesday night were traded before the deadline. Rodney Hood and Alec Burks had both become regular starters for the Cavaliers,now they will likely be using their 21st different starring line-up Friday.
On Wednesday, the Cavaliers acquired guard Brandon Knight, forward Marquese Chriss, a 2019 lottery-protected first-round pick and a 2022 second-round pick from the Houston Rockets as part of a three-team trade. Knight and Chriss are both expected to get the opportunity within the Cavs rotation.

It has not yet been announced if they will play Friday night, but it should come this weekend. Hopefully the Cavaliers rotation starts to settle down as the roster becomes healthy again.

If anyone knows about alternating goals on the fly it’s the Cavs. Coming into the season there was belief they could compete for a playoff spot, but after Kevin Loves injury those aspirations went away.

There is a possibility that Love returns to the Cavaliers line-up Friday night, but nothing is certain. The return of Love is a complicated one for Cleveland as they figure out what pieces they have for the future.

Washington too made some big moves before the deadline. The Wizards were able to trade Otto Porter to the Chicago Bulls for Jabari Parker and Bobby Portis.

Parker and Portis are on expiring contracts, allowing the Wizards to move on from Porter’s contract. The move also shifted the last Wizards future, moving on from their “Big 3” of John Wall, Bradley Beal and Porter.

The Washington front office explain their reasoning for the trade. “We are bringing in two former first-round picks who will give us frontcourt depth with their ability to play multiple positions,” said Wizards president Ernie Grunfeld. “The trade also provides us with an opportunity to continue to develop two promising young players while giving us future flexibility.”