(Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND – The Cleveland Cavaliers have acquired guard Brandon Knight, forward Marquese Chriss, a 2019 first round draft pick and a 2022 second round pick from the Houston Rockets as part of a three-team trade, Cavaliers General Manager Koby Altman announced today from Cleveland Clinic Courts. In exchange, Cleveland is sending guards Nik Stauskas and Wade Baldwin IV as well as a 2021 second round draft pick (via Milwaukee) to Houston, and guard Alec Burks to the Sacramento Kings. Houston will also receive guard Iman Shumpert from Sacramento and will send their own 2020 second round pick to the Kings as part of the deal.
Knight (6-3, 195) has appeared in 12 games with Houston this season, averaging 3.0 points in 9.8 minutes per game. Over his seven-year NBA career, he has played in 394 games (320 starts) with Detroit, Milwaukee, Phoenix and Houston, holding averages of 14.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 30.6 minutes per game. Knight, who played one year collegiately at Kentucky, was originally selected by the Detroit Pistons with the eighth overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft and was named All-Rookie First Team in 2012.
Chriss (6-10, 240) has competed in 16 games for the Rockets in 2018-19, averaging 1.8 points and 1.8 rebounds in 6.5 minutes per game. He owns career averages of 7.9 points and 4.5 rebounds in 19.8 minutes per game over 170 contests (124 starts) with Phoenix and Houston. Chriss played collegiately at the University of Washington and was originally selected with the eighth overall pick by the Sacramento Kings in the 2016 NBA Draft before having his draft rights traded to Phoenix that night. He was voted All-Rookie Second Team in 2017.
Stauskas (6-6, 205) and Baldwin (6-4, 200) were acquired by the Cavaliers from the Portland Trail Blazers along with Portland’s own 2021 and 2023 second round draft picks in exchange for guard Rodney Hood on Feb. 4.
Knight will wear jersey number 20 and Chriss will wear jersey number 3 for the Cavs.