2017 NBA Draft: 5 possible draft-day trades we want to see

1. PG-13 goes NC-17 on league parity

Well, everyone would be happy until the Cleveland Cavaliers go NC-17 on Eastern Conference parity by adding PG-13.

Thanks to LeBron’s super-teams and the rise of this Golden State Warriors dynasty, the top of the NBA is basically an arms race. With the Celtics adding Jimmy Butler in our hypothetical draft-day madness, the defending Eastern Conference champs would need a move to counter.

Would there be anything more deflating and simultaneously hilarious than Boston landing Jimmy Butler only to watch the Cavs trade for Paul George?

The Cavs were woefully outmatched in their Finals series against the Warriors, and with LeBron James turning 33 in December and becoming a free agent in 2018 — plus those Los Angeles Lakers rumors already starting up — this team needs to do whatever it can to close the gap.

Loving Kevin Love‘s three-point shooting and rebounding hurts, but they’d be replacing him with a two-way star who can also spread the floor, attack the basket and play vitally important defense — especially in a Finals matchup with the Dubs, since PG-13 would spare LeBron the tiring task of checking Kevin Durant.

Sure, George would just wind up being a one-year rental after telling the Indiana Pacers he’ll be leaving in 2018 free agency, but the Cavs are one of the few teams who’d be willing to take the risk, since LeBron is a free agent that same summer. Basically, it’s time for the Cavaliers to really be “all in.”

There are potential issues that need to be sorted out with this swap, however, aside from the fact that the Cavs don’t have a general manager at the moment.

Love is Cleveland’s only trade asset, since no trade partner — let alone the soon-to-be rebuilding Pacers — would be remotely interested in guys like Tristan Thompson, Iman Shumpert or Channing Frye.

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For Indiana, their return would depend on what third team could be roped in. An established star and a young wing like Cedi Osman would be better than nothing, but Love will turn 29 in September and the Pacers would prefer to rebuild around Myles Turner with young talent and future draft picks if they’re trading away their franchise star.

The Cavs don’t have a first-rounder to offer until 2021 — too far away to help Indiana — and they don’t have any young talent to offer outside of unpolished prospects like Kay Felder and Cedi Osman.

To that end, a third team would need to be roped in to take on Kevin Love and send Indiana the assets it needs to part ways with its franchise superstar.

According to The Chicago Tribune‘s K.C. Johnson, the Phoenix Suns could very well emerge as that third party (though this Suns insider could tell you firsthand that hemorrhaging the team’s youth movement for the soon-to-be 29-year-old Love would be a shortsighted move):

That being said, beggars can’t be choosers if Love and Osman is the best offer Indiana receives, since PG-13 is leaving no matter what. People forget this, but Love put up 26.1 points, 12.6 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game the last time he was “the guy” for a team.

He’d form dynamic shooting tandem with Myles Turner in the frontcourt and is under contract through at least 2018-19.

Next: 5 potential Paul George trades

With Butler already off the board and the Cavaliers desperately needing additional star talent, wing defense, positional versatility and three-point shooting, Paul George is the only alternative. League parity is dead anyway. Let’s make this happen, NBA.