Cavs trade Kevin Porter Jr. to Rockets for protected second-rounder

The Cleveland Cavaliers are finalizing a trade to send Kevin Porter Jr. to the Houston Rockets, sources tell The Athletic and Stadium.

Source: Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter)

ANALYSIS: The Rockets are acquiring Porter Jr. in exchange for a future second-round pick that is top-55-protected (meaning it will likely never convey), according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN. Our own Spencer Davies of BasketballNews.com confirmed the deal, adding that Houston will absorb Porter Jr. into a traded player exception. The Cavs will now have an open roster spot following the move.

After his recent locker-room outburst, the Cavaliers were adamant on moving on from the second-year guard out of USC. Porter Jr. had a heated exchange with Cavaliers general manager Koby Altman, as BasketballNews.com detailed in this report.

Essentially, this deal allows Cleveland to move on from Porter Jr. after the awkward incident and get out of paying his salary, while Houston makes a low-risk, high-reward addition considering Porter is still just 20 years old and has a lot of potential.