[NYFLAVA2K9Participant]

Trade proposal: Cleveland trades 1st pick overall to Utah for 3rd and 12th picks overall

Why this trade works –

     No owner in the league is under more pressure to hit a home-run in this years draft than Cavs owner Dan Gilbert after his infamous Post-Bron Decision/ Disaster rant. The Cavs best shot at delivering on his promise to contend is by building through the draft and trade acquisitions, as Cleveland is not exactly a premier free agent attraction due to its small market and a low-blow throwing owner . The Cavs actually have a better chance at being the "Next OKC" drafting at the 3rd, 4th and 12th picks versus drafting at the 1st and 4th picks.  In recent weeks, we’ve all become familiar with the Cavs worst-case/doomsday scenario (Cavs pick once consensus top prospect PG Kyrie Irving #1; fellow top prospects Derrick Williams and Enes Kanter immediately follow him off the board leaving another PG Brandon Knight as the best player available when the Cavs pick again 4th overall). What’s muddying the waters is that the talent drop off after Knight is considerably steep, and pairing Irving with Jan Vesely or Kawhi Leanord is more like a ground-rule double than a home-run for the Cavs. The Jazz on the other hand come into draft searching for the next elite pass-first PG to follow in the footsteps of all-time Jazz and NBA greats John Stockton and Deron Williams.

     Assume the Jazz were to pick Irving  #1 overall, the move would actually put the Cavs in a virtual can’t miss situation. The Cavs worst case scenario suddenly looks alot brighter as they will now be guaranteed either Williams or Kanter at the 3rd pick to pair with Knight who the Cavs would nab with the 4th pick. To sweeten things up, the addition of the 12th pick would give the Cavs a plethora of options. With the 12th pick the Cavs could opt to fill their hole at SG, or draft the best player available with names like Alec Burks and Donotas Motiejunas coming to mind. To boot, the Cavs own a second rounder which they can use to bolster their bench with solid names like Nolan Smith, Shelvin Mack, and Justin Haprer all possibilities. Home-Run!

[swishh_15Participant]

There is no way the jazz would do this trade.

[bksmithParticipant]

The Jazz will laugh Cleveland off the phone. If anything were to happen the Jazz would trade Jefferson and possibly CJ Miles for Clevelands TPE and the #4 pick.

Suddenly the Cavs would have a low post presence and a very reliable scorer and could possibly be a playoff team in the east in about a year, not next year but the one after that.

The Jazz could then draft Knight and either Vesely or Valanciunis.

That sounds more likely to me.

[The Scare Crow ReturnsParticipant]

hAs it occurred to any body that Irving may be there when the Jazz pick 3rd…

[jazz270Participant]

Yeah, good point. Irving may be there. If he is, hallelujah.

Not singling anyone out, but most of the trade proposals are so one sided and obviously made by fans who want something to happen that’s good for their team, but horrible for the other team.

The Jazz would only make this trade if they were convinced Irving was a sure fire all-star and potential MVP for the next ten years. He’s not, as good as I think he will be.

It’s been said that this is a 2 player deep draft, but I disagree. Kanter must be thrown in the mix, and possibly Knight, Valanciunas and Vesely as well. Any one of those guys could turn out to be stellar, and not just Irving and Williams. Those two may have the best chance of doing so, but it’s not a lock.

Besides, if the 12th pick is Jimmer or Burks, then I wouldn’t want to give a chance at those two up. They could be terrific players, and the Jazz could be getting a great player at 3.

 

[tubbyman1Participant]

 This would be great for the cavs but i think the cavs would have to throw in anthony parker and some cash considerations. 

[TheLastWordParticipant]

I think the Jazz do this. They really like Irving because he is a pure PG, not a combo guard like Knight. The Jazz need a pure PG to get the ball to their talented big men in a reliable fashion. If the Jazz are certain Irving is their starting PG for the next 10 years, throwing in the 12th in a weak draft is nothing.

[bloodshyParticipant]

I’m sure the Jazz love Irving. But they probably think they have a 25% chance of getting him by sitting still. Plus, they probably like Williams and Kanter nearly as much. 

The more likely scenario would be for the Jazz to sit tight and take the available player of those 3. If it’s Kanter, then the Jazz might seek a trade with someone like Indiana, who would likely trade their ’11 & ’12 first round picks to the Jazz for Jefferson. Or, they could try to trade Jefferson for Iggy, Ellis, Mayo (or some other wing).

[NYFLAVA2K9Participant]

I hear what some of you are saying. Mark my words though… If the Cavs keep the #1 pick, they will use it on Kyrie Irving. Especially with the way Tristan Thompson has been performing in work outs, they may may go Irving #1 and Thompson #4 if they can’t secure a deal similar to this one and still get kudos. So much has been made of Irving’s injury, but they forget that the injury isn’t long term and that pre-injury Irving was the head and shoulders #1 prospect in this draft. The Jazz make no mistake are in the market for a replacement to pure PG Deron Williams, and Irving is closest you will get to that either through this or next years draft and free agency. If the Jazz have the chance to go Irving with the number #1 pick overall, I beleive they pull the trigger for a few reasons. The first reason is that the Jazz covet an elite face of the franchise pure PG , not a solid PG with questions surrounding his ability to run a team like Brandon Knight. I think at best Brandon Knight gives you the same thing Devin Harris gives you, and the Jazz know this. Enes Kanter and Derrick Williams will be options to the Jazz as well, but only if Irving doesnt present him self as an option to them. Enes Kanter is going to give you similar numbers to Al Jefferson at best and has a similar skill set to Derrick Favors. Derrick Williams will need a full season for a team to experiment with him at SF before they know if he can play that position full time, and the Jazz aren’t about to waste a pick on an experiment if they can avoid it. Also, the Jazz already have Gordon Hayward at SF (he’s not a SG like some would suggest). The Jazz have a ton of PF’s (Jefferson, Millsap, Favors, Okur to an extent), so if Derrick Williams shows he’s better suited to play PF then you have one hell of a log jam . People will say " Well what makes getting Irving a priority when you can get Jimmer Fredette at 12?’. Make no mistake, Fredette will be at best a top 15-20 Pg in this league and no where near the level of the Derrick Rose and Russell Wesbrooks of the World. Yes Irving isn’t on a level with Rose or Westbrook either, but he atleast comes close..With Irving you get at worst a PG who’s going to strengthen your fan base, bring a pass first mentality which Jazz fans love, and give you the best PG and PF (Favors) building blocks in which have always been the major keys to the Jazz’s success (Stockton & Malone; Williams & Boozer). Also with out having 2 first round picks, they actually maintain cap flexibility which is a big thing for a small-market team such as theirs.

@Jazz270 –

"The Jazz would only make this trade if they were convinced Irving was a sure fire all-star and potential MVP for the next ten years. He’s not, as good as I think he will be."

Yes while Irving isn’t a future MVP, he’s the best option the Jazz will have at PG for years to come. Who else even comes close as a possibility for the Jazz?. Brandon Knight? Solid but not the passer that the Jazz covet. Irving contrary to belief has no chance of being available at 3. As the draft gets closer and the injury to Irving gets further in peoples mind, Irving will again be considered as the consensus #1 pick as he’s should’ve been all along. By the way, im not a Cavs or Jazz fan lol. 

@bloodshy –

"I’m sure the Jazz love Irving. But they probably think they have a 25% chance of getting him by sitting still. Plus, they probably like Williams and Kanter nearly as much."

I believe they will go Williams or Kanter at 3 only if Irving isn’t an option. They’re more of conselation prizes versus the ultimate prize in their mind… the next great PG to follow John Stockton and Deron Williams. Even if he’s not those two which I don’t think he is, he’s alot closer than anyone else gets.

[NYFLAVA2K9Participant]

These two need to talk still… Cleveland can also absorb a contract and throw in Parker and Moon

[PulseGlazerParticipant]

Agreed with NY Flava.  I almost can’t imagine Irving *NOT* being there at 3.  Kahn won’t take him, and Cleveland logically has no reason to.  Every situation where they take a big 1 and a small 4 works better unless you’re extraordinarily confident in Jonas.  The biggest obstacle for Utah would be Minnesota trading the 2 to someone who likes Irving.

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