Cleveland Cavaliers: 5 moves to upgrade the roster for 2017-18
1. Trade Love for PG-13…and maybe Kyrie for Jimmy Buckets
Barring some kind of gift from the heavens, the Cleveland Cavaliers have no realistic way to make up ground on the Golden State Warriors. They don’t have the cap room to sign a Chris Paul, Blake Griffin or Gordon Hayward, and even if they did, would any one of those players close the gap?
The same could be said of a potential Carmelo Anthony trade, even if the Cavs have the assets to pull that kind of deal off. A Banana Boat reunion isn’t happening in Cleveland.
Their only hope this summer is to pull off a blockbuster Kevin Love trade…and maybe even one for Kyrie Irving too.
As The Ringer’s Jonathan Tjarks already laid out, a trade of Kevin Love for Paul George might be mutually beneficial. The Indiana Pacers are rightfully concerned about losing PG-13 to free agency next summer, and with those Lakers whispers rising to a dull roar, other teams aren’t going to give away the farm if they’re afraid of being unable to re-sign him.
That means the Pacers may have to take what they can get for fear of losing him for nothing in 2018. A former face of a franchise like Love wouldn’t be the sexiest return for a legitimate two-way star, but it might be as good as Indiana can realistically expect. Love and Myles Turner would form a pretty impressive shooting frontcourt as well, and Love is locked in for another two seasons.
Don’t forget, in his final season with the Minnesota Timberwolves as “the guy,” Love averaged 26.1 points, 12.5 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game. He’s coming off his best season yet with the Cavs and he’s still only 28 years old.
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As for the Cavs, they’d be getting one of the best wing defenders in the league who could take the pressure off LeBron to guard KD in a seven-game series. With Klay Thompson on Kyrie and KD guarding George, that would force Draymond Green off of Tristan Thompson and onto LeBron. Unless he found a playable center, Steve Kerr would be forced to play small with Andre Iguodala.
On the other end, George is already a solid scorer, but having playmakers like LeBron and Kyrie to take the attention off him would elevate his offense to a new level.
PG-13 shot 39.3 percent from three-point range this season, so spreading the floor wouldn’t be an issue. LeBron playing the 4 is always dangerous, and though it takes a physical toll, the Cavaliers would only need him to do so in the playoffs.
If George is looking to finally get over that King James-sized hump in the East, perhaps the best way is to join him.
PG-13 leaving for Los Angeles in free agency would be a legitimate concern, especially with LeBron also being a free agent and there being a good chance that adding George still isn’t enough to prevent another Finals defeat. But if the goal is to assemble a better team around the King and compete with Golden State, this is the first step.
Another step — though nowhere near as vital as a George-for Love swap — might be trading Kyrie Irving to the Chicago Bulls for Jimmy Butler.
The Bulls have gone back and forth on Butler’s availability, most recently saying he’s not on the block. However, this is the same front office that said the team needed to get younger and more athletic and then went out and signed Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo.
If Chicago did consider a deal, getting a franchise point guard who’s two and a half years younger than Butler would make sense. He’s nowhere near as prolific on the defensive end, but the Bulls have been unhappy with Butler’s leadership and could prefer a fresh start.
As for the Cavs, having three two-way wings like LeBron, PG-13 and Butler might seem superfluous, but that’s the kind of positional versatility and defense it’d take to challenge the Warriors. Cleveland also doesn’t have a huge need for a point guard who is a mediocre facilitator, since LeBron handles most of the playmaking anyway.
While trading Kyrie would feel heartless, and the Cavs would definitely miss his insane shot-making when he enters heat check mode, they’d also be replacing his and Love’s lackluster D with two more elite wing defenders.
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Is that enough to beat Golden State? It’s hard to say, especially since the Cavs would need to bank on Butler or someone else defending Stephen Curry. However, it’d make them a more well-rounded team, and even if Kyrie-for-Butler is taking it a step too far, a Love for PG-13 swap is the first legitimate step toward closing the gap.