Written by Andrew Lynch at Fox Sports.com
The Cleveland Cavaliers were closer to defending their championship than you think.
Yes, we know the Cavs just lost the 2017 NBA Finals in five games. We also know the Warriors cruised past the Cavaliers in those five games by a total margin of 34 points.
Yet if the Cavaliers had implemented their Game 4 strategy earlier in this series, they might still be playing rather than headed to an early vacation. So on that note, we should get one thing clear: Cleveland doesn’t need to make a move this offseason, especially not a big trade.
Moving Kevin Love isn’t going to improve the Cavs — not when you take a look at who’s on the market.
With that said, a trade could prove the decisive margin in a fourth meeting against Golden State. You never know, right? More important, we know you want to read about potential trades to help LeBron James get over the top against those Warriors if for no other reason than to give you hope that someone can break Golden State’s emerging stranglehold on the NBA.
So on that optimistic note, here are four deals Cleveland could consider this offseason to restock for next June.
Kevin Love for Paul George
How would it help? Love is a much improved defender at this point in his career, but he’s not anywhere close to PG-13 as a two-way player. The Cavs would be sacrificing a little bit of size for a genuine All-NBA forward who can create his own shot, knock down 3s, and guard Kevin Durant for stretches of time.
The risk is twofold. First, George might not re-sign with the Cavaliers after next season if Cleveland fails to win a title and he decides he’d rather have his own team in Los Angeles.
Second, if George works out an extension with the Pacers contingent on a trade to the Cavs (which in itself would be contingent on LeBron pledging to stay in Cleveland), owner Dan Gilbert would be on the hook for an even more massive luxury tax bill moving forward.
Would it work? All of those aforementioned concerns are before we get to the potential basketball problem — does trading Love for George significantly improve Cleveland’s chances against Golden State?
George is a better player in a vacuum, but he would have to learn how to play with two ball-dominant stars in Cleveland. That learning curve alone could force the Cavs to take a step back when they can least afford any hitch in their momentum.
This is a sexy move that will get a lot of attention over the next couple months, now that Cleveland’s playoff run is over. Don’t pay it much attention.
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