What If Wednesdays: What if the Cavs traded the 8th pick in 2018?

Lineup #2 – Cavs get their second star

When you think about draft picks, it is not hard to imagine the Oklahoma City Thunder’s GM Sam Presti plotting another way to snag a draft pick for his ever-growing collection. With that in mind, let’s take a look at a potential trade between the Thunder and the Cavs involving the 8th draft pick.

In the summer of 2017 when Kyrie had decided to move on from the shadow of LeBron, the trade talks were never-ending. One trade that never transpired was a 3-team deal between Cleveland, Phoenix and Indiana. Had this trade been successful, Irving would have been sent to the Suns along with Channing Frye, with the Pacers acquiring some talent such as Jared Dudley, Iman Shumpert, and the Suns 4th pick. The Cavs would have welcomed Paul George and Eric Bledsoe to The Land. I bring this could-have-been trade scenario up because it shows us that Paul George to Cleveland had been a topic of discussion before, so who’s to say it couldn’t have been again?

Paul George’s name had been thrown around before in Cleveland trade rumors. So, let’s look at a potential trade involving him from the Thunder. In my opinion, if the Cavs had traded their 8th pick to OKC, that transaction would have looked like OKC receiving Cleveland’s 8th pick in the draft alongside Kevin Love and Jordan Clarkson in exchange for Paul George and Andre Roberson.

A lineup from that potential transaction could have looked something like George Hill playing the point guard position, while Paul George took over the shooting guard role, Rodney Hood could play the three, LeBron would be slotted in as a power forward, and Tristan would take on opponents in the paint as the center.

Imagine if the Cavs had a starting lineup featuring Paul George who had just come off the previous season averaging 21.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game, paired up with LeBron who had averaged 27.5 points, 8.6 rebounds and 9.1 assists. Would the Cavs had been playoff contenders again? Quite possibly, yes. Perhaps even with a few small transactions at the deadline, they could have been competing for and bringing home that Larry O’Brien again.

Now, all of that seems great, but what if LeBron still left in the summer of 2018? Would a Cavs team led by Paul George still be able to stay above water? I believe so. At least, enough to get into the playoffs. Ultimately I think the key to these potential trades is not so much the players the Cavs could have gotten in return, but rather the intent of trading was to acquire win-now stars that would convince LeBron to stay in The Land. If the King still walks, the purpose of the trade is moot. Basically, with all of these potential trades, things still could have ended up working against the Cavs. Let’s shift our attention back to our present now and see if the Cavs were better off for keeping that 8th pick.