Most plugged-in observers were expecting a relatively quiet trade deadline for the Los Angeles Lakers, with the most recent NBA trade rumors coming into the day pointing towards the purple and gold standing pat and shifting their focus to 2019 free agency rather than clearing cap space for the 2018 class by moving players like Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance, Jr.
The idea of a muted deadline was shot to pieces Thursday morning, however, when hours before the trade deadline the Lakers shipped Nance and Clarkson to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Isaiah Thomas, Channing Frye and Cleveland’s protected 2018 first-round pick.