Sacramento Kings acquire J.J. Hickson from Cleveland Cavaliers; Send Omri Casspi – NBA Update
The Sacramento Kings and the Cleveland Cavaliers have pulled off what appears to be the last trade before the NBA enters lockout mode. The two sides traded for talented young forwards J.J. Hickson and Omri Casspi just hours before
the lockout.
J.J. Hickson and Casspi are both young and still finding their way around the league. The players were on rookie deals, therefore matching the salaries was not an issue. It is also rumoured that Casspi had been informed that he
would be traded before the league goes into lockout.
J.J. Hickson will be playing alongside DeMarcus Cousins next season, whenever it begins. The forward was moved by the Cavaliers in return for former Sacramento man Omri Casspi and conditional first round pick from the Kings.
Both players primarily occupy the small forward slot, although Hickson has the ability to play power forward if needed. However their similarities end there as both are fundamentally different.
Hickson is more attack oriented in the sense that he likes to get to the rim. The player does not possess the best jump shot around but makes up by getting inside. He has also increasingly contributed on the boards since arriving
in the NBA. Hickson stands 6-foot-9 and the player averaged over 13 points during the regular season. He also had an impressive 8.7 rebounds per game.
Casspi on the other hand, has significantly lower numbers at 8.6 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. However the player believes that the Kings did not play to his strengths. Additionally, Casspi is still young and has plenty of
room to improve. The move might be blessing in disguise as his game suits the Cavaliers. Casspi has a good shot on him and although he does not attack the rim as ferociously as Hickson, the player is a born competitor. He converted a solid 37 percent from
beyond the arc last season and would certainly help the Cavaliers spread the floor.
Hickson’s role on the Cavs roster is likely to be filled by Tristan Thompson, the player Cavaliers, unexpectedly, drafted as the 4th overall pick on June 24. Thompson is a 6-foot-8 centre/forward and is known to be aggressive
inside the paint. He was brought in with a view to making an impact on the boards and can attack the rim with thanks to his athletic build.
Therefore it made sense for the Cavs to make the trade, especially as they already have veteran forward Antawn Jamison (sidelined through injury at the moment) already on the roster. With the league entering lockout mode beginning
Friday as the current Collective Bargaining Agreement or CBA expires, this could be the last bit of transfer news for a while.
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