Examining the aftermath of nixed Kyrie Irving, Paul George deal

Cleveland Cavaliers – Losers

The Cleveland Cavaliers were clearly the team that would have benefited the most had this massive NBA-altering deal gone down. The team would have lost Kyrie Irving, Channing Frye, and Iman Shumpert in exchange for Paul George and Eric Bledsoe.

Although Irving was a definite upgrade over Bledsoe, the former Phoenix Sun averaged 21.1 points and 6.3 assists per game that season, and mixed in with All-Star forward George, it would have been a significant upgrade for the team.

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With the roster they had at the end of the 2017 NBA Finals, it was clear that they could not overthrow the Golden State Warriors. However, if they swapped Irving, Frye, and Shumpert for Bledsoe and George, that is a championship contender with a genuine chance because of sheer firepower.

A lineup of Bledsoe, George, James, Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson would be a legitimate threat with championship aspirations. If it happened, they could potentially still be dominating the league today, many years later.

Instead, the deal fell through, and the Cavaliers eventually shipped Irving off to the Boston Celtics in exchange for Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic, and the Brooklyn Nets’ 2018 unprotected first-round draft pick. At the time, it seemed as if the Cavaliers fleeced the Celtics, but ultimately, it was a deal that did not pan out as either side hoped.

After one more run in the NBA Finals, LeBron James departed, and the team has not made the postseason since. This nixed trade undoubtedly hurt the Cavaliers the most, as to lose a generational player like they did with James does not happen every day. Had the deal gone through, Cleveland might not have stopped with just one championship.