3 Things the Lakers Can Take From the Warriors & Cavaliers

Feb 8, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) dribbles the ball between Los Angeles Lakers forward Nick Young (0) and guard Jeremy Lin (17) in the fourth quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

2. Trades Mean Everything

This is especially true for this Finals more than previous years. For the Warriors, this was centered about trading (or not trading) Klay Thompson. They had the offer of Kevin Love for Thompson and even the Lakers offer of their first rounder for Thompson in their lap one summer ago. But the Warriors didn’t mess with the Splash Brothers, and as a result, they are champions with Thompson as Curry’s right hand man. On the flip side, the Cavs traded Andrew Wiggins for Love soon after last years’ draft, which ended up not working out as Love was injured throughout the Finals. This evaluation, of course, could be different if Love wasn’t injured, but the emergence of Tristan Thompson as a power forward may lead to Love’s decision of leaving the Cavs in free agency. Also, Cleveland’s acquisitions of J.R. Smith, Iman Shumpert, and Timofey Mozgof ended up being successful and were vital for the Cavs’ playoff success, but they still fell short in the end.

Next: Where Is Lady Luck?