The 2019 NBA trade deadline is only a day away.
And if history holds true, it should be a busy 24 hours for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Dating back to 1987, the NBA trade deadline has become an annual event and perhaps unsurprisingly, the Cavs made a deal that very year. Sending forward Ben Poquette to the Chicago Bulls, Cleveland acquired a second-round pick -- a relatively mundane deal when compared to the trades the Cavs would make in the years to come.
Whether it was acquiring an All-Star, trading for a future first-round pick or even overhauling its roster on the fly, Cleveland has become accustomed to transactions being made this time of year. With that in mind, let's take a look back at the five biggest NBA trade deadline deals in Cavs history.
5. 2018
Although they were the 3-time defending Eastern Conference champions, the Cavs entered last year's trade deadline at a crossroads of sorts. Having lost nine of its previous 14 games, Cleveland's playoff seed was slipping and perhaps more alarmingly, its locker room was seemingly imploding.
Rather than tinkering with a roster that many still considered the favorite to win the East, first-year Cavs general manager Koby Altman took a drastic approach in his first trade deadline. Completing three trades involving four teams and 11 players over the course of just a few hours, the Cavs sent away veterans Isaiah Thomas, Channing Frye, Iman Shumpert, Jae Crowder, Derrick Rose and Dwyane Wade, in exchange for a younger quartet of Hood, George Hill, Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr.
In the short-term, the deals paid dividends for Cleveland, which ultimately advanced to a fourth straight NBA Finals last June.
Following the offseason departure of LeBron James, Altman's roster overhaul has produced more of a mixed bag. Although the Cavs thought highly enough of Nance to sign him to a four-year extension and Clarkson is currently the team's leading scorer this season at 16.6 points per game, they have also since traded Hill and Hood as they enter a likely long term rebuild.
4. 2010
Rather than waiting until the final few hours of the 2010 NBA trade deadline to make a deal, Cleveland got a head start on the transactions run with a blockbuster trade.
Two days prior to the 2010 deadline, the first-place Cavs shook up their lineup, sending center Zydrunas Ilgauskas and a first-round pick to the Washington Wizards in exchange for 2-time All-Star Antawn Jamison.
Although Ilgauskas would eventually return to Cleveland after agreeing to a buyout with the Wizards, the results of the deal ultimately fell flat. In 25 games, Jamison averaged 15.8 points per game for the Cavs, whose NBA title hopes fell short when they were beaten by the Boston Celtics in six games in the conference semifinals
One month later, James -- and eventually Ilgauskas -- took his talents to South Beach. Jamison, meanwhile, remained in Cleveland for another two seasons, averaging 17.6 points and 6.5 rebounds per game before playing the final two seasons of his NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers.
3. 2008
After making a run to the 2007 NBA Finals, the Cavs failed to maintain their momentum entering the following season. As the trade deadline approached, Cleveland laid claim to a mere 30-24 record and possessed a roster seemingly incapable of keeping pace with the newly formed Big Three Celtics.
Rather than standing by idly, Cavs GM Danny Ferry opted to make a move, constructing a three-team blockbuster with the Chicago Bulls and Seattle SuperSonics. Sending out Larry Hughes, Drew Gooden, Shannon Brown, Donyell Marshall and Cedric Simmons, Cleveland received Ben Wallace, Delonte West, Joe Smith and Wally Szczerbiak in a trade that ultimately brought three new faces to the team's starting lineup.
Although the Cavs would ultimately lose to the Celtics in seven games in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, all four of the players they acquired played key roles in Cleveland amassing a franchise-best 66-16 record the following season.
2. 1988
Thirty years before they acquired Larry Nance Jr. at the trade deadline, the Cavs did the same with his father. In what was just the second documented NBA trade deadline, Cleveland sent Kevin Johnson, Mark West, Tyrone Corbin, a first and two second-round picks to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Larry Nance (Sr.), Mike Sanders and the Detroit Pistons' first-round pick (later used for Randolph Keys).
Joining Brad Daughtery and Mark Price, Nance completed a trio of All-Stars in Cleveland and helped lead the Cavs to five playoff appearances in his seven seasons with the team. In 433 regular season games, the 6-foot-10 big man averaged 16.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.5 blocks, twice earning All-Star appearances and All-Defensive Second Team selections while in Cleveland.
In 1995, the Cavs retired Nance's No. 22 jersey. The number, however, was 'unretired' last year and is currently being worn by his son.
1. 2011
In their first season of the first post-LeBron James era, wins were coming few and far between in Cleveland. Fueled by what was then a league record 26-game losing streak, the Cavs entered the 2011 NBA trade deadline laying claim to a 10-46 record.
Cleveland's fortunes, however, would soon change as the result of a franchise-altering deal. Trading former All-Star point guard Mo Williams and forward Jamario Moon to the Los Angeles Clippers, the Cavs acquired Baron Davis -- and his sizable contract -- as well as the Clippers' unprotected 2011 first-round pick.
While Davis provided a temporary spark for Cleveland -- even leading his new team to a win over James' Miami Heat -- his Cavs career ultimately only lasted 15 games, in which he averaged 13.9 points and 6.1 assists. Rather, the real gem of Cleveland's deadline deal with the Clippers came in the form of the first round pick, which ultimately resulted in the Cavs landing the No. 1 pick of the 2011 NBA Draft, which they used to select Kyrie Irving.
The 2012 NBA Rookie of the Year, Irving earned four All-Star appearances in his six seasons in Cleveland, averaging 21.6 points per game and 5.5 assists. In 2016, he hit the game-winning 3-point shot in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, giving the Cavs their first championship in franchise history and the city of Cleveland's first in 52 years.
