Cavs: People actually think the Mavs will trade Kristaps Porzingis to Cleveland

There’s a trade proposal involving the Mavericks sending Kristaps Porzingis to the Cavs that’s so bonkers it has to be dissected to truly grasp.

The Cavs are going to be sellers at the trade deadline unless they’re able to ride this three-game winning streak into a 10-game streak while managing to stay above water until past the deadline. Even then they’ll still trade Andre Drummond. The Cavs don’t need him to win, which is counter-productive for his trade value, but it’s the NBA, someone will bite on his name value. It’s like WCW in the late ’90s. So it’s no surprise that a trade with the Mavericks is being pitched, sending Kristaps Porzingins to the Cavs.

There is so much wrong with this idea. To be clear, this is a writer-pitched trade, not a rumor. It’s still absurd and needs to be dismissed. This one comes from Greg Patuto of NBA Analysis.

This trade is going to kill me, it makes me that mad.

Firstly, I want to be clear, I would LOVE to trade Darius Garland and Andre Drummond away. I’ll take back literal nuts (aka a second-round pick) just to be rid of them. Garland is inconsistent and isn’t a good fit for J.B. Bickerstaff’s defensive-minded game. Sure, he plays well against Ben Simmons, but Simmons isn’t an offensive dynamo. Drummond? Well, he’s Drummond. Plus I’m not trading away a draft pick for Porzingis.

Why not?

Well, where to start. For the same reasons I’m wary of guys like Kevin Porter Jr., I’m wary about Porzingis. He’s already been accused of some heinous things, and frankly, that’s bothersome. Either he did it, and he’s trash or he didn’t do it, and he’s someone who makes bad decisions. Either way, a red flag. Secondly, he can score but can’t play defense.

Literally, the reason why Garland has got to go. Why would you take back the player in return who is so bad defensively, that it’s a major reason why the Mavs are probably shipping him? For all big men in the Western Conference, only Enes Kanter grades out worse than Porzingis.

The trade would make more sense if Garland and the first-rounder weren’t attached.

If Garland has to be attached, you might as well use him as a contract-kicker and put Kevin Love in that deal, sending Love, Garland, and Drummond to the Mavs for Porzingis, and the expiring contracts of Tim Hardaway Jr. and James Johnson. Again, this isn’t a trade I’d make because I don’t think Porzingis fits on this team.