Recently Kyrie Irving has demanded a trade request, wanting to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers. Kristaps Porzingis would be a great player to fit in to the Cavs rotation, he is a great defensive player but can also shoot. This would also allow the Cavaliers to go out and spend money on Derrick Rose in free agency. Also, to make this trade work, Courtney Lee would also be sent to the Cavs. He is a great player for the Cavaliers because Kyle Korver might play backup Small Forward next season, meaning Courtney Lee would start next year for the Cavs. So that is the Cavs side of the trade, let’s look at what the Knicks would receive.
So in this trade the Knicks would be able to get Kyrie Irving. Irving is a great player to lead a team, and a great player to rebuild around being 25 years old. The Knicks need an all star caliber player, as a franchise they struggled last year. As much as fans love Porzingis, Kyrie Irving is indeed a step up and is indeed a player they can rebuild around. If Kyrie is on the team, other players would want to play for the Knicks, as players want to play with one of the best ball handlers and one of the most clutch players in the NBA. So let’s look at what the Cavaliers and Knicks depth chart looks like after this trade.
Cavaliers:
PG:
1 Derrick Rose(Signs with Cavs, knowing he will start)
2 Jose Calderon
3 Kay Felder
SG:
1 Courtney Lee
2 J.R. Smith
3 Iman Shumpert
SF:
1 Lebron James
2 Kyle Korver
3 Richard Jefferson
PF:
1 Kevin Love
2 Jeff Green
3 Channing Frye
C:
1 Kristaps Porzingis
2 Tristan Thompson
3 Edy Tavares
This team would be absolutely amazing as could possibly lead the team to beat the Warriors. You think the Warriors can shoot the 3? Look at the Power Forward, Center combination. Porzingis, Love, and Frye can all shoot the 3 ball. Then at Small Forward you have King James, with a backup of 3 point specialist Kyle Korver. You also have Courtney Lee and J.R. Smith, good 3 point shooters. As your 3rd stringer you have Iman Shumpert who is a good defensive player just in case Lee and Smith aren’t playing the best defense possible. Then as a point guard you have slasher Derrick Rose and as a backup 3 point shooter Jose Calderon. Talk about defending the 3 point shot by canceling it out with a 3 at the other end. And if you don’t think that is enough, look at your stacked center position. Thompson is coming of the bench! He didn’t have the best finals last season, so bringing him of the bench is a fantastic idea. If you need height, bring in Tavares, the 7’3 player. If the Cavs play the situation right, they will have an unbelievable team.
Knicks:
PG:
1 Kyrie Irving
2 Frank Ntilikana
3 Chasson Randle
SG:
1 Tim Hardaway Jr.
2 Ron Baker
3 Damyean Dotson
SF:
1 Carmelo Anthony
2 Mindaugas Kuzminskas
3 Lance Thomas
PF:
1 Kyle O’Quinn
2 Maurice Ndour
3 Nigel Hayes
C:
1 Willy Hernangomez
2 Joakim Noah
3 Marshall Plumlee
The Knicks have a fantastic all star to build around. Irving would be perfect for the Knicks franchise. He can also be a mentor for the rookie Frank Ntilikana. As the shooting guard for the Knicks, they spent a crazy amount of money on Tim Hardaway, meaning that he has to be the one starting. I feel that for the Knicks Ron Baker played better at shooting guard than point guard, so he will play backup shooting guard. Small Forward is Carmelo unless they trade him, with a great backup small forward of Kuzminskas. At Power Forward you have O’Quinn, Ndour, and Hayes. The power forward position is definitely flexible, as Ndour could start and even Hayes could end up being the starter. And then you have Hernangomez at center, with a backup of overpaid Joakim Noah. Overall this team has room for improvement, however it is a decent team. With one more star, this team could be a contender.
So that is my idea for a trade between the New York Knicks and the Cleveland Cavaliers. I believe that this trade could make the Cavs win against the Warriors in the finals. It would also lead the Knicks to a better rebuild. Thank you for listening and have a great day!
Four Foot Nuttin 