The Cleveland Cavaliers trade for Keon Ellis was literally 40 years in the making originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

One could say it took 40 years for Keon Ellis to be traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers. It may seem like a wild statement, but it’s the truth. The Cavs traded for the in-demand perimeter defender to close out January, sending over DeAndre Hunter to the Sacramento Kings in exchange for Ellis and Dennis Schroder. It was a move that both bolsters Cleveland’s perimeter defense and, thanks to Schroder’s arrival, provides a solid backup behind newly acquired point guard James Harden.

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Their arrival to the Cleveland Cavaliers isn’t the best part of the story, however.

According to local Cleveland sports writer and personality, David Hrusovsky, the trade that landed Ellis was only possible because of one that happened almost exactly 40 years prior. A trade tree that not only saw Ellis join the Cavs, but features moves that include the acquisition and departure of key players like Donovan Mitchell, Lauri Markkanen, Andre Drummond, Ricky Rubio, Kyrie Irving, Moe Williams, Anderson Varejao, and Mark Price. To name just a few.

More: Daryl Morey throws shade at James Harden after his trade to Cavaliers

In fact, the arrival of Price to the Cavs on June 17, 1986, is the catalyst for all of this. Starting in 1986, the Dallas Mavericks picked Price 25th overall, making him the first person off the board to start the second round of that year’s draft (the NBA only had 24 teams at the time). The Mavericks shipped Price to the Cavaliers for just a 1989 second-round pick. A pick that turned into Jeff Hodge, a guard who never played a game in the NBA.

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Maybe the second-worst trade the Mavericks have ever made, behind the debacle that was Luka Doncic to the LA Lakers.

The Cavs would later trade Price to the then-named Washington Bullets for Vitaly Potapenko, who would then be traded to the Boston Celtics for Andrew DeClercq and a draft pick that would become Andre Miller. Things begin to diverge from one another here, as DeClercq would be traded to the Orlando Magic for Matt Harpring (before his Utah Jazz stint), while Miller would be traded to the LA Clippers for Darius Miles.

Things only get harder to follow from here on out, as there’d be multiple branching trade branches that come off that one single string of simple to follow moves, with over 50 unique trades that occur down the line. All to land two guys and hopefully, the Cavs second NBA Championship.

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What started with Price and included names like Irving and Mitchell, now includes Ellis and Schroder as another link in that trade chain. Their arrival may not be of the magnitude of Price, Mitchell, Irving, or others, but Ellis, namely, has time to showcase what he can provide going forward. Especially since he provides a skillset the Cavs desperately need, and failed to get from the likes of Hunter or Lonzo Ball. With both of those men gone from the team, Ellis will have plenty of chances to warrant his inclusion in such a remarkably long and complicated history.

You can track the entire history of the trade tree HERE.

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