The Cleveland Cavaliers have been the most talked about NBA franchise this summer. Even though the Golden State Warriors are the champions for the 2016/2017 season, we've spent almost two months of the offseason talking about the Cavaliers. It all started with the Cavaliers' general manager David Griffin, as he and the Cavaliers parted ways earlier this summer. This left the Cavs without a general manager and the situation reached boiling point when Kyrie Irving requested to be traded. He went to the Cavs owner Dan Gilbert, and reportedly told him that he doesn't want to play alongside LeBron James anymore.
Irving stated that he wants to be on a new team, where he could be the vocal point and "the man". The New York Knicks have been mentioned as one of Kyrie's preferred destinations if he gets traded, but no official deal has been made yet. It seems like the Knicks don't have much to offer to the Cavaliers, but the Cavs would be ready to make this deal if one player is included.
Cavaliers want Porzingis
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported earlier this week that the primary Cavaliers' target, in a potential trade deal with the New York Knicks, is Kristaps Porzingis. The Knicks would obviously welcome Kyrie Irving as he is considered one of the best point guards in today's NBA. But in order to get Irving, the Knicks would have to send Kristaps Porzingis to Cleveland because Porzingis is the Cavs' primary target.
Wojnarowski also reported that the Cavs would have to take on the three seasons and $55 million remaining on the contract of Joakim Noah in order to begin negotiations for Porzingis. Getting Porzingis in exchange for Irving makes sense for the Cavaliers, as Porzingis showed last season he's an All-Star caliber player. Porzingis just turned 22 this summer, and he would give the Cavaliers a young star who could also help them immediately with his skills.
He averaged 18.1 points and 7.2 rebounds per game last season while shooting 45% from the field. The 7-foot-3 Porzingis made 35% of his three-pointers last season with the Knicks, and playing alongside LeBron James would make him even better.
Will it happen?
It is hard to believe that the Knicks would be ready to trade Kristaps Porzingis, even if it would mean getting Kyrie Irving in return.
While Irving is one of the best ball handlers the NBA has ever seen and an explosive one-on-one player, Porzingis is three years younger and has a special skill set. At 7-foot-3 Porzingis can defend the rim at a pretty decent rate, and his ball handling has also improved over the past two seasons. He averaged 2.0 blocks last season and in addition to his defensive abilities, he was able to spread the floor for the Knicks with his three-point shooting. If Carmelo Anthony gets traded from the Knicks this summer, we should expect Porzingis to have an even bigger role in New York next season.
