Countless predictions surrounded last year’s new-look Cavaliers squad. But none of those predictions foresaw the Wine and Gold acquiring J.R. Smith as the squad’s starting two-guard.
After an offseason for the ages, the Cavs went into last campaign with lofty expectations. But they found themselves struggling around the .500 mark as the calendar turned to 2015. And after dropping a lopsided Sunday afternoon decision to Dallas at The Q, the season took a dramatic turn the following night in Philadelphia.
That night – minutes before tipping off against the Sixers – the Cavaliers announced a three-team deal that sent Dion Waiters to the Thunder, bringing Smith, Iman Shumpert and a protected first-rounder back to Cleveland while sending Lou Amundson, Alex Kirk and their own 2019 second-rounder to New York.