Looking back at the biggest "What If" trade in recent Cleveland Cavaliers history

One missed opportunity might have completely changed the trajectory of the Cleveland Cavaliers and their second run with LeBron James.

When the Cavaliers drafted Akron native LeBron James first overall in the 2023 NBA Draft, Cleveland walked away from a decade of being stopped short of the Finals by Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls with the greatest prospect the franchise had ever seen. Before LeBron James led the Cavs to the 2007 NBA Finals, the organization could never reach the biggest stage.

In 2010, James left the Cavaliers for the Miami Heat after being knocked out of the playoffs short of the Finals time and time again. Cleveland had remained in NBA purgatory and could not build a winner around their young star. Once James left, the Cavs entered a dark era of the team's history. They tied the longest single-season losing streak ever in the NBA by dropping 26 consecutive games. The only bright spot for Cleveland was another young star in Kyrie Irving, who they had drafted first overall in 2013, but they had not been able to reach the postseason with Irving at the helm.

In 2014, LeBron James returned to Cleveland and led the Cavaliers to four consecutive Finals appearances alongside Irving and Kevin Love. Irving and James quickly formed a league-leading duo over these four years. Irving's playmaking, shooting and clutch mentality paired perfectly with James' all-around dominance. Following the unforgettable and historic 2016 3-1 comeback against the Golden State Warriors, that same partnership began to shift.

Before the start of the 2017-2018 regular season, Irving requested a trade from the Cavaliers. On August 22, 2017, Cleveland agreed to send Kyrie Irving to the Boston Celtics in exchange for Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic and a 2018 first-round draft pick. Thomas had developed into a star in his own right, leading the Celtics to numerous deep playoff runs in the East over the past years. Crowder and Zizic also gave the Cavs a deeper lineup going into the latter half of the season.

Unfortunately, Thomas' tenure with the Cavs was far from ideal. Thomas began the season recovering from a prior knee injury, and Cleveland posted a 7-10 record upon his January return. By the 2018 trade deadline, tensions rose to new heights on the Cavaliers, and it was clear the pairing was far from what Irving and James had been. Only months after dawning the wine and gold, the Cavs traded Thomas in a trade that seemed to solidify that LeBron James' second run with the Cavaliers would not extend beyond his upcoming free agency.

While the past can never change, the Cleveland Cavaliers were mere moments away from an entirely different timeline. Rather than a botched Kyrie Irving trade, the Cavs almost exchanged the disgruntled star for perennial All-Star.

What if Paul George came to Cleveland?

Before Irving was eventually dealt for Thomas, the Cavaliers had lined up a deal to add Indiana All-Star forward Paul George and more instead. George had been a thorn in Cleveland's side in LeBron's second stint, proving himself as a two-way superstar with dynamic athleticism and lockdown defense.

Both the Cavs and Pacers were traversing a stormy offseason leading up to the failed trade. Both squads were facing imminent free agency for the number one players. For the Pacers, they were too far away from a contender to make a big swing and convince George to re-sign. The Cavaliers, though, were still the best team in the conference. Irving had been unhappy for a while and wanted to lead his own team, making the swap seemingly perfect.

The full details would have included the Phoenix Suns, which ultimately became a pivotal part in the discussion's downfall. As the trade neared completion, the Suns were unwilling to give up their fourth overall pick in that year's draft, pulling out from the trade. Phoenix would have received Irving and Channing Frye, and Cleveland would have landed George from Indiana and Eric Bledsoe from the Suns.

At the same time, then-Cavaliers general manager David Griffin could not come to terms on a contract extension with owner Dan Gilbert, furthering Irving's discontent. What could have been became a perfect storm of mistakes, missed opportunities and failure for the Cavs. Paul George confirmed the trade was near completion in his podcast Podcast P with Paul George years later.

What could have been a new big three in Cleveland never came to be. In the previous season, George averaged 23.7 points and 6.6 rebounds en route to his fourth All-Star selection in seven seasons. After the Cleveland deal fell through, George eventually joined Russell Westbrook on the Oklahoma City Thunder for two seasons before finally landing with his hometown Los Angeles Clippers.

The prospect of George in Cleveland could had drastically shifted the Cavaliers' success that year. While Cleveland returned to the NBA Finals by way of a historic playoff run by LeBron James, the Cavs were ultimately swept in four games to the Warriors who had added Kevin Durant in the 2016 offseason.

In the end, adding Paul George would not have guaranteed anything for Cleveland. The Cavaliers could have won the Finals again with George at LeBron's side, and both players could have re-signed for the long-term aftewards. Equally, anything can happen in the postseason, and both George and LeBron could have left the Cavaliers that following summer, pushing the Cavs into the same rebuild that they started in 2018 anyway.

The Irving trade resulted in the eighth overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft - a pick that turned into Collin Sexton. Sexton became the next glimpse of hope for the Cavaliers and spurred what became a quick rebuild. After drafting Darius Garland one year later and Evan Mobley in 2021, the Cavs found themselves with one of the most promising young cores in the Association.

Sexton spent four years with Cleveland before a being a foundation in the 2022 blockbuster trade that brought the next All-Star to the Cavaliers, Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell. Mitchell led the Cavaliers to their first 50-win season since 2018 and became the first Cav to earn All-NBA honors since LeBron James in 2018.

As different as the Cavaliers could have looked in the 2018 playoffs with Paul George, Cleveland expertly navigated their rebuild under general manager Koby Altman. As it stands now, the Cleveland Cavaliers have re-emerged as a powerhouse in the East, currently holding a 32-16 record with the second best record in the conference. Mitchell will play in his second All-Star game as a Cavalier, the fifth of his career.

Cleveland's recent past could have gone any number of directions, but the future looks just as bright as ever six seasons later as the newest era of Cavaliers basketball continues to make shockwaves.