Today's article is going to be one of those moments that resembles Charlie from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and his Pepe Silvia board in terms of conspiracy and connecting lines. But hear me out nonetheless. Everything the New York Knicks could execute in order to land Giannis Antetokounmpo can be done by the Cleveland Cavaliers (but a touch slower).
There were reports about the Knicks having interest in Jrue Holiday, according to Marc Stein. Ian Begley estimated the idea behind that was Giannis would enjoy playing with his former championship teammate once more. The Cavaliers could execute such a pursuit with ease.
"The idea would be that Giannis would enjoy playing with Jrue Holiday again"
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) January 27, 2026
Ian talks about Jrue Holiday, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and how the Knicks fit in to trade rumors surrounding the pair on The Putback with @IanBegley pic.twitter.com/vFkKdoUl3A
Swapping Darius Garland for Jrue immediately works financially, and even saves the Cavaliers $7 million in the process. The discussions remaining there would be the discrepancy in draft capital and who needs to send it in what direction to make the trade work.
From there, as long as the Giannis sweepstakes holds steady until the summer, Koby Altman has a shot. The end result could be plugging Antetokounmpo in as the final infinity stone in Cleveland.
New York’s plan for Giannis might be too easy for Cleveland to mimic
A Giannis trade stalling until the offseason would be key for this idea because the Cavaliers would need to get under the second apron first before making their move. That maneuver would consist of sending a package built around Evan Mobley and his $50.1 million salary due for 2026-27.
Should the Milwaukee Bucks be high on Mobley and view him close to a best-case scenario for an Antetokounmpo return, the Cavaliers have suddenly stolen the Knicks' pathway to the two-time MVP. They look pretty good coming out the other end too.
For their troubles the Cavs would have a core of Antetokounmpo, Holiday, Donovan Mitchell, and Jarrett Allen for a title pursuit during the 2026-27 season. Jaylon Tyson probably slides in as the fifth starter with that group.
That is a championshi-level starting point beyond any doubt.
It would be interesting to see what the Cavaliers have left in terms of depth after all those maneuvers. If there was enough for a quality nine-man rotation in Cleveland, you'd have to feel pretty good about your chances if you're the Cavs.
What's the likelihood of this happening? Admittedly, pretty slim. The Cavaliers front office continues to emphasize figuring things out with their current core.
Even so, this is all technically within the realm of possible and doable, even if not ultimately probable. If it stays as just a fun thought, so be it. It's still a neat idea to explore hypothetically.