By Sandro Guedes
So, Irving is fed up with LeBron’s BS and he wants out. He gave the Cavs 4 teams that he’d like to go to: the Wolves, Heat, Spurs and Knicks. Now, using some common sense, I’ll assume that the Spurs aren’t willing to give up Kawhi, the Wolves won’t give up Towns and the Heat won’t give up both Whiteside and Dragic. That leaves the Knicks, who unbelievably, become the team with the best package to offer for Kyrie.
Now, we know LeBron and Melo have a bromance going on. We know Melo wants out of NY. And we know Irving wants out of Cleveland and wouldn’t mind NY at all. That’s like the perfect storm. Only problem is, Cavs’ and Knicks’ complicated cap situation, which would make a straight up deal highly unlikely.
In comes Phoenix. They are a rebuilding team that want nothing more than youth and picks. Could they deal for Irving outright, surpassing the Knicks? They could. They could outbid us, just like Boston could or even the Lakers. Only thing that prevents that from happening is Irving’s will. He didn’t mention Boston, Lakers or Suns. He did mention the Knicks though.
So, with all that considered, we’ll be using the Suns as a third team to facilitate a deal, because they have a lot to gain from this too. Bledsoe is also a LeBron favorite. And while he’s a good player – a really good one – he doesn’t fit in the timetable of what the Suns are trying to do, with Booker and Criss. Pretty much like Carmelo with the Knicks and Porzingis. We’ll be giving them Frank Ntikilina and a pick for Bledsoe, who is a player that doesn’t help their tanking ways at all.
So this is the blueprint of the deal I came up with:
- Knicks get – Irving and Frye’s expiring contract.
- Cavs get – Bledsoe and Carmelo
- Suns get – Frank, Shumpert and Knicks’ 2018 top 5 protected pick.
Now, as for the reasons why:
Knicks – Carmelo’s era is over. It’s Porzingis’ team from now on and we need to surround him with young, quality players. Is Frank that? Well, he is young. The quality part is still questionable, highly questionable. But Irving’s quality is undeniable. We have no use for Carmelo anymore, nor does he want to be here. So let him go chase a ring with his LeBrother in Cleveland. Giving up Frank and a future 1st for Irving is a no-brainer. As good as Frank might become, he’ll never be as good as Irving. Write that down: He’ll NEVER be any good as Irving. Will a top 5-10 draftee in 2018 be any better than Irving? We both know, no. Doncic, Porter and Ayton are the top prospects and neither of them will be available past 5. So the Knicks don’t risk missing on them, the ones who have a shot of being as good or better than Irving. Kyrie grew up around NY, he’s just entering his prime, has gone to 3 straight Finals and is a top 10 PG in the NBA. He’s everything the Knicks have been dreaming of for the last 20 years. Phil messed up by taking Frank instead of Dennis in this years’ draft. Mills can fix that mistake by trading for Kyrie. In 4 years, Porzingis will be 25 and Irving will be 29. The Warriors won’t be the Warriors anymore and LeBron will be done too. So for the Knicks to have those two Stars together, in their primes, would be out of this world. Bernard King and Patrick Ewing never played together in their primes. Porzingis and Carmelo didn’t either, obviously. But we got a chance of getting that with Porzingis and Irving. Don’t hesitate.
Cleveland – Irving is a great player but he wants out. They can keep him against his will – as he is signed for the next 2 seasons – but that would mean killing the entire locker room’ healthness. So they have to deal him. Now, they’re about to get Rose as a free agent. You add that to Bledsoe and Carmelo, and they instantly become a better, deeper team than they were before. Look at that possible rotation: Bledsoe – JR – LeBron – Melo – Thompson with Rose, Gree and Love off the bench. That’s heads and shoulders better than they were last season. Especially against GS. Bledsoe can slow down Curry like Irving couldn’t and Melo can make Durant sweat on defense, something that Love couldn’t. Rose would provide bench scoring like the Cavs haven’t seen in any previous season after LeBron’s return. It’s a no-brainer for them as well.
Phoenix – Losing Bledsoe actually helps them. They’re not dreaming about the playoffs. They’re dreaming about top picks. They’d be getting Frank, a player that is exactly what Booker needs next to him (defensive, not ball dominant PG) as well as a future pick. In this scenario, there’s a possibility Phoenix could be drafting #2 (their own pick) and #6 (Knicks’ pick) in the 2018 draft. All that while having Booker, Frank, Criss and Len as a young core already. I’d say that is a pretty good scenario for them in the long run. So I think they wouldn’t mind this deal at all.