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Cleveland Cavaliers Trade Kevin Porter Jr. to the Houston Rockets

Kevin Porter Jr. has yet to play in his second NBA season due to personal reasons.

Austin Grad

The Cleveland Cavaliers found a suitor for former USC hooper Kevin Porter Jr. after the team decided to move on due to disciplinary reasons. On Thursday night, the Cavs traded Porter to the Houston Rockets in exchange for a future second round pick according to multiple reports.

The team publicly announced on Monday that they were looking to move on from the 20-year-old, and would have released him if they were unable to find a trade partner. Porter averaged 10 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 50 games during his rookie season last year. However, the South Seattle native hasn’t played yet this season due to personal reasons.

Porter's had difficulties off-the-court during his time in the NBA and while at USC.  Friday night's outburst was the last straw for Cleveland. 

The former 30th overall pick allegedly became angry in the Cavaliers locker room after learning that the team had moved his old locker to accommodate Taurean Prince, who Cleveland acquired in the blockbuster deal that sent James Harden to Brooklyn. 

Porter started yelling and throwing food, and remained combative when general manager Koby Altman came in and confronted him according to multiple reports. Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff reportedly came in from his office after hearing the commotion, too, and was “shocked and disgusted by what he heard.”

He was also involved in a one-car accident in November, and was charged with “improperly handling firearms in a motor vehicle," but those charges were later dismissed. 

A few days later, two women filed a police report claiming that they were attacked by Porter in an unrelated incident. While at USC, he was suspended indefinitely due to "personal conduct reasons" during one of the Trojans' road trips.

While at USC during the 2018-19 season, Porter averaged 9.5 points and four rebounds per game in 21 appearances for the Trojans. His NBA-level talent was enough for Cleveland to select him with the 30th and final pick of the 1st round in the 2019 NBA draft. 

Although Porter has had a rough past few months due to off-court issues and lack of play, the former five-star prospect is still only 20 years old and has a tremendous amount of upside. 

The Rockets are reportedly planning to waive Chris Clemons to open a roster spot for him, as they too believe Porter has a lot of potential. Since Houston is in rebuild mode after the Harden trade, Porter should get plenty of playing time to show off his skills. As long as he can stay calm, cool and collected.

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Austin Grad
AUSTIN GRAD

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