The Cleveland Cavaliers traded away six players and took on a whole new roster of younger players just mere days before the trade deadline.

On February 8th, the Cavaliers traded away Isaiah Thomas, Channing Frye, Derrick Rose, Jae Crowder, Iman Shumpert and Dwyane Wade in an effort to stay competitive in the Eastern Conference.  The move seems to be beneficial because since the trade, they’ve played great basketball and are currently undefeated with this new team.

Cleveland’s season has been a roller coaster to say the least. Heated tension was reportedly a nightly occurrence in the Cavalier’s locker room, according to Brian Windhorst. Prior to the deadline, he visited the Cavalier’s locker room and reported the toxicity among the players and the front office were evident.

Lebron James was clearly unhappy with how the team was playing prior to the trade, even verbally stating that their games should not be televised.

“The Cavs were horrible before the trade,” said Senior Simon Abraham. “It was really hard to watch”.

This all changed when they traded half their roster away for more athletic and younger players. They added on players such as Jordan Clarkson, Larry Nance Jr, George Hill and Rodney Hood. Lebron James’ attitude turned a complete one-eighty, as James praised the new players after their first game together where they blew out the Boston Celtics.

“The Cavs finessed the Lakers in that trade,” said senior Kai Lobo “ Now they have young building blocks and are an overall better team now”.

With the team’s new additions they are able to have an actual presence on defense and can bring a high amount of energy every night. According to an ESPN analyst, since the trade they have outscored their opponents by around 15.3 points per game. They are now the favorites to come out of the Eastern Conference and go back to the NBA Championship.

“ They for sure are a contending team for the NBA Finals,” said senior Austin Aiona “ especially because they have Lebron James”.

With Lebron James on the roster, anything is possible. If the Cavaliers make it to the NBA Finals, this would be James’ eighth consecutive appearance in the finals.

The best is yet to come from this new-look Cavalier team, with only a few weeks playing with each other, they are still getting used to playing with one another. NBA All Star Kevin Love could also be another factor; he is currently injured, however he could offer a lot on the offensive side of the game.

The possibilities are endless for this new Cavalier team and we will have to wait and see how they develop in the games to come. The Cavaliers have a game against the Washington Wizards this Thursday on February 22nd and could be another exciting game to showcase their ability as a team to dominate the league.