Cavaliers Trade J.J. Hickson to Sacramento Just Ahead of Lockout

The Cleveland Cavaliers traded power forward J.J. Hickson to the Sacramento Kings Thursday. In exchange for Hickson, the Kings sent back swingman Omri Casspi and a protected 2012 NBA Draft pick. That pick will be the Kings' first-round selection, but it will only go to the Cavaliers if it is not part of the NBA Lottery (first 14 picks).

According to ESPN, this deal went down in a rush to beat the NBA lockout. At the end of the business day Thursday (midnight Eastern), all teams are going to be forced to stop dealing with players, and that includes any trades. A lockout is going to suspend players getting paid, games being played, and of course any transactions teams might have been discussing.

There have been many teams asking about Hickson, and the Cavaliers must have finally found a deal they liked. Hickson is a good defender down low, and has a lot of energy on the offensive end of the court. In the 2010-11 season, he averaged 13.8 points and 8.7 minutes in limited action, but could certainly see his minutes increase next year. He even finished off the year with six straight games, where he averaged double figures in points and rebounds.

Hickson is a player who could provide the Kings a lot of depth at power forward and certainly has the skills to average 20 points and 10 rebounds every night. It's hard to predict how much playing time he will get on a roster that already includes DeMarcus Cousins, though. With Tyreke Evans and the addition of Jimmer Fredette to the roster, however, the Kings may be a team ready to make the playoffs again.

On the other end of the deal, the Cavaliers get a young small forward who could be really good in a running offense. During his second year in the NBA, Casspi averaged 8.6 points in just 24 minutes per game. It wouldn't be a stretch to say he could start as a small power forward for the Cavaliers, possibly beside recently drafted Tristan Thompson at the small forward spot. In a lineup that will feature Kyrie Irving at point guard and likely Anderson Varejao at center, this could be a much improved team.

This is a trade that could possibly help out both franchises, but it might be surprising to some fans that Hickson was given up for a role player and not another potential superstar. Casspi is someone who could certainly get even better as a shooter, though, so it's possible the Cavaliers come out ahead in the long term.