A new report indicates that after former Lakers forward Larry Nance Jr. was traded by the Cleveland Cavaliers last month, he thanked the Cavs’ front office for “rescuing” him.
Larry Nance Jr. gave a personalized note along with a bottle of wine for every member of Cleveland's front office before he left.
He also said, "Thank you for rescuing me from LA." per Altman.
— Evan Dammarell (@AmNotEvan) September 27, 2021
The Altman in question is Cavaliers general manager Koby Altman, who acquired Nance in a huge trade deadline deal in February 2018. Last month, he dealt the 28-year-old Nance to the Portland Trail Blazers.
While the trade to the Cavaliers brought Nance back to the area in which he grew up, it’s clear that he was more relieved to be leaving what was a losing situation with the Lakers.
Nance had been selected by the Lakers in the first round of the 2015 NBA Draft and put up modest numbers in a largely reserve capacity.
Undoubtedly, Nance wanted to play more with the Lakers, but he was likely more frustrated by the floundering state of a franchise that seemed lost.
Yet, during the summer of 2018, the fortunes of both franchises shifted when LeBron James left the Cavaliers to sign with the Lakers. Since that time, the Cavaliers have been the bumbling team, and the Lakers captured their first NBA title in a decade last year.
Nance’s opportunity to win an NBA title with the Trail Blazers is a question mark, but he may get some more attention from fans when he comes to Staples Center this season.
